Bucharest, March 21 /Agerpres/ - The interior, exterior and festive lighting of the Palace of Parliament will be switched off on Saturday, between 20:30hrs and 21:30hrs, to mark the Earth Hour.

The Chamber of Deputies is, also this year, a partner of the international organisation World Wide Fund for Nature, to support the largest voluntary environmental action, Earth Hour in Romania.

In Romania, Earth Hour is coordinated by the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) and marks, year after year, the collective commitment to environmental protection.

This year, the event also coincides with World Water Day, providing an additional opportunity to reflect on the essential resources that sustain life.

The Chamber of Deputies has been participating in this event since its first edition in Romania, emphasising, each time, the importance of responsible actions and projects that benefit the environment and the people.

The Earth Hour event, initiated in 2007 in Sydney, Australia, when more than two million people and more than 2,100 companies turned off their lights for an hour, has become a global symbol of awareness and action against climate change.

Currently, hundreds of millions of people from over 190 countries participate in this movement, and emblematic buildings such as the Eiffel Tower, the Colosseum and the Golden Gate Bridge turn off their lighting to send a strong message of solidarity for the planet.

The Palace of Parliament was among the most relevant buildings in the world that turned off the lights for this campaign.

More than 8,000 cities from 190 countries will come together this year for the 19th edition of the event to inspire people, communities, companies and governments to take action to protect biodiversity, combat climate change and promote a sustainable lifestyle. AGERPRES (RO - editing by: Catalina Matei; EN - writing by; Corneliu-Aurelian Colceriu)