Dubai to switch off lights to mark Earth Hour

The emirate of Dubai will gear up for Earth Hour 2014 on Saturday night by asking citizens and firms to switch off lights to save energy and raise awareness on energy conservation and climate change. The Earth Hour event, which is observed across the world, will be held at Dubai business bay, the skyscraper district around world's tallest tower Burj Khalifa, for one hour from 8:30 to 9:30 local time. Landmarks to switch off the light will include Burj Khalifa, Dubai international financial center, Dubai festival city and parts of the Dubai airport. Citizens are also encouraged to picture landmarks during the " dark hour" and post them on their social media pages. Earth Hour in Dubai follows an announcement from the Emirates Authority for Standardization and Meteorology that the sale and use of all inefficient forms of lighting will be banned in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) from July 1, 2014, in a bid to reduce energy consumption and carbon emissions in the Gulf state. The UAE sources 99 percent of its electricity needs from oil and gas but aims to increase the share of renewable energy such as solar power to five percent until 2030.