Lights switched off around the world for Earth Hour

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Big Ben before and during Earth Hour in central London Credit: Anthony Devlin/PA Wire/Press Association Images

Lights were switched off around the globe this evening as the world marked the World Wildlife Fund's ninth annual Earth Hour.

The event, which started in Sydney, Australia in 2007, saw major landmarks including London's Tower Bridge, Paris' Eiffel Tower and Germany's Brandenburg Gate all switch off their lights for an hour starting at 8.30pm local time.

A combination picture shows St. Basil's Cathedral before and during Earth Hour in Moscow Credit: REUTERS/Sergei Karpukhin

The first countries to switch off their lights this year were Samoa and Antarctica and millions of lights worldwide will be switched off by the time Earth Hour makes its way through the estimated 162 nations that are taking part this year.

The event is designed to raise awareness of the need to combat global warming by showing how much energy can be conserved in a one hour time period globally.

Watch a time-lapse video of the light switch off in England, France and Latvia: