Millions of people from some 170 countries and territories took part in the annual bid to highlight global warming caused by the burning of coal, oil and gas to drive cars and power plants.
The event, which originated in Sydney, has grown to become a worldwide environmental campaign, celebrated across all continents. Conservation group WWF, which organises Earth Hour, said great strides had been made in highlighting the dire state of the planet.
Use the slider to see the before and after images of some of the renowned monuments and buildings during Earth Hour.
Opera House, Sydney
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Sydney Harbour Bridge
Petronas Twin Towers, Malaysia
Dayan Pagoda, China
Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus (CST), Mumbai
Belvedere Palace, Vienna
Kremlin, Russia
Eiffel Tower, Paris
Christ the Redeemer, Rio de Janeiro
Acropolis, Athens
Burj Khalifa, Dubai
Last year, scientists recorded the Earth’s hottest temperatures in modern times for the third year in a row.
Nations agreed in Paris in 2015 to limit average global warming to two degrees Celsius (3.6 degrees Fahrenheit) over pre-industrial temperatures.
That is the level at which many scientists say humankind can still avoid worst-case climate outcomes in terms of rising sea levels, worsening droughts and floods, and increasingly violent superstorms.
Earth Hour does not collect global statistics about the energy conserved during the 60-minute blackout, chiefly a symbolic event.
