The Empire State Building turned off its iconic tower lights from 8:30-9:30 p.m. to observe Earth Hour, a global initiative organized by the World Wildlife Fund to raise awareness of environmental issues. Earth Hour encourages people to turn off non-essential lights for one hour, and this year marked the 18th annual event, with participation from landmarks worldwide including the United Nations headquarters in Manhattan and other iconic locations in the United States.
Russia has banned the World Wildlife Fund (WWF), claiming that it is undermining the country's economy and limiting the work of its oil and gas giants. The ousting of the WWF, the last major international environmental organization still operating in Russia, as well as the shuttering of several dozen local activist groups over the past year, signal a grim shift in Russia's ecological policy. The polar bear initiative in particular was one of the last areas of cooperation between Russia and the United States, even as relations deteriorated in virtually every other area.
