Swiss cities switch off the lights for ‘Earth Hour’

In Geneva, the famous “Jet d’Eau” fountain was rather hard to make out on Saturday night. Keystone-SDA

Several Swiss towns and cities left well-known buildings and landmarks in the dark on Saturday evening as part of a campaign organised by environmental group WWF.

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As in previous years, the campaign aimed to set an example for the global climate. Private individuals were also invited to take part and switch off the lights between 8.30pm and 9.30pm on Saturday, the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) said.

This year, Bern, Chiasso, Lenzburg, Locarno, Lucerne, Mendrisio, Morges and Montreux took part in the campaign. In Geneva, for example, the lights usually pointed at the famous “Jet d’Eau” fountain were switched off (see photo).

According to the WWF, the Dolder Grand Hotel in Zurich also remained in the dark for an hour.

The organisers argued that the world has just experienced not only its hottest year, but also the hottest decade since records began. Oceans are also warmer than ever before, they say.

The effects of the climate crisis are also being felt in Switzerland, the WWF said, with more hot days each year, drier summers, and heavier rainfall.

Translated from German by DeepL/dos

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