One hour of light off for our planet: New Zealand and other countries in the Asia-Pacific region heralded the "Earth Hour" for 2023 on Saturday evening at 8.30 p.m.

The WWF launched the global climate and environmental protection campaign in Australia in 2007 as a sign that humanity must take better care of the earth. Not only do numerous citizens around the world switch off the lights for an hour, but also well-known buildings are no longer illuminated for 60 minutes.

This year, people should also take action on "Earth Hour" day themselves: "Give the earth an hour and do something - anything - positive for our planet for 60 minutes," wrote WWF International. Examples included reconnecting with nature outdoors, picking up rubbish on a beach, planting a tree, shopping plastic-free, or watching a documentary about climate change and biodiversity loss.

Famous buildings turn off lights

Meanwhile, in New Zealand, the Sky Tower, the observation and telecommunications tower and the Harbor Bridge in Auckland, as well as the parliament building in the capital, Wellington, were shrouded in darkness. In Sydney, Australia, the world-famous Harbor Bridge and the Sydney Opera House were to follow a little later.

"An estimated 200,000 trees are felled in Australia every day. That's 8,000 trees an hour," WWF Australia calculated. "Trees are the lungs of our planet and we need them to reverse the effects of climate change. Now is the time to hit the pause button."

In Malaysia, the Petronas Towers - once the tallest building in the world - had announced their participation. In Thailand's capital, Bangkok, five iconic structures made the list, including the Temple of Dawn (Wat Arun) and the Temple of the Emerald Buddha - the country's national shrine. Governor Chadchart Sittipunt has also asked shopping malls and hotels to hold candlelight activities.