Merida, Yucatan — Yucatan’s capital joined cities around the world to mark Earth Hour.
Officials on Saturday turned off lights at 8:30 p.m. in a call for global action on climate change.
The Monumento a la Patria and the Municipal Palace were both darkened for an hour last night. The same happened in cities large and small around the world.
The symbolic gesture began in Sydney, Australia, in 2007, soon spreading to more than 180 countries.
In Hong Kong, major buildings along Victoria Harbor turned off their non-essential lights and the city’s popular tourist attraction, the Symphony of Lights, was canceled.
Paris, the City of Lights, dimmed its Eiffel Tower, while in Athens, the Parthenon temple went dark.
The Empire State Building also disappeared into the cool night sky over Manhattan.
In Yucatan, where environmental issues are at the forefront, elected leaders endorsed the campaign.
“In the City of Mérida we connect with the planet! Following the global call of celebration for the planet, we carried out the symbolic shutdown of the Monument to the Fatherland and the Municipal Palace, endorsing our commitment to fight against climate change. #HagamosElCambio,” the city’s Ayuntamerida social media page stated in Spanish.
Beyond symbolism, Yucatan Gov. Mauricio Vila Dosal has promoted a statewide Zero Waste strategy.
In addition, new environmental policies established in the state Development Plan 2018-2024, presented a few days ago, are written to be aligned with the objectives of the 2030 Agenda of the United Nations Development Program.
