SYDNEY (AFP) - - Several Asian Pacific cities were Saturday preparing to plunge into darkness as they kick off the first leg of the Australia-led 'Earth Hour' campaign to raise awareness about global warming.



Sydney will be the first major metropolis to endure the self-imposed 60-minute black-out, turning out the lights on landmark buildings and corporate skyscrapers from 8:00 pm (0900 GMT), with homes and businesses also encouraged to take part.

From there the initiative, which aims to engage the community in combatting global warming, will see lights dimmed or turned off at 8:00 pm local time in Bangkok and Manila, before spreading further to Europe and the Americas.

'Earth Hour' founder Andy Ridley, who has said up to 30 million people could participate this year, said he was amazed at how far the initiative had spread since it was launched by environmental group WWF in Sydney a year ago.

"When we first talked about it, right at the beginning, our dream was to come up with something that made sense to a lot of people to do," he told AFP.

"And what seems to have happened is that it does seem to make sense to a lot of people to do it."

'Earth Hour' encourages governments, companies and homeowners to voluntarily switch off power to non-essential appliances for one hour to illustrate how, by working together, people can make a difference by using less energy, thereby producing fewer greenhouse gas emissions.

About 2.2 million people are estimated to have participated in the 2007 Sydney event which left the city's iconic harbourside Opera House and nearby Harbour Bridge bathed in moonlight as restaurant diners ate by candlelight and company logos on office buildings were dimmed.

The Australian government has this year urged people and businesses to take part and more than 100 government departments and agencies have signed up to switch off for the hour.

"The Australian government is throwing its full support behind the efforts of WWF in organising Earth Hour," Climate Change Minister Penny Wong said.

"It is vital that we raise awareness that we can all make a difference by saving energy in our homes."

In Bangkok, the lights on some of the Thai capital's most famous landmarks, including the riverside Temple of the Dawn, the Rama 8 Cable Bridge across the Chao Phraya River and the main boulevard in the city's historic core will be turned off.

Thai TV and music stars will also join events organised by the city to raise awareness of global warming, as street lamps are turned off on eight main thoroughfares and business are urged to dim their lights.

In Manila, several major thoroughfares will go dark as street lights and billboards are switched off on the designated hour, Philippine Energy Secretary Angelo Reyes said.

The Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PCCI), the country's main business group, has called on members "to participate in this global hour of action by encouraging their employees and stakeholders to turn off or reduce the lights and appliances in their homes, offices and product billboards."

Twenty-six cities around the world are officially signed on to turn off their lights on Saturday night, including Chicago and Atlanta in the US and the Irish capital Dublin, but hundreds more towns and local governments are expected to be involved in the 60-minute shutdown.

Cities involved in 'Earth Hour' include Aalborg, Aarhus, Adelaide, Atlanta, Bangkok, Brisbane, Canberra, Chicago, Christchurch, Copenhagen, Darwin, Dublin, Hobart, Manila, Melbourne, Montreal, Odense, Ottawa, Perth, Phoenix, San Francisco, Suva, Sydney, Tel Aviv, Toronto and Vancouver.