Tourist attractions and homes around the world participated in Earth Hour 2009 by turning off their lights to raise awareness about climate change. Landmarks such as the Sydney Opera House, Eiffel Tower, and London's Houses of Parliament dimmed their lights as part of a campaign to promote energy conservation and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Despite concerns about the costs of fighting global warming during the economic crisis, organizers believe the event demonstrated widespread support for a new U.N. climate deal by the end of 2009. Kim Carstensen, head of a global climate initiative at WWF, expressed optimism about the possibility of reaching a new agreement during U.N. climate talks in Bonn. He mentioned that they were showing it to everyone who was turning off their lights, while delegates and activists were enjoying blue cocktails. According to the U.N. Climate Panel, greenhouse gas emissions are causing global warming and will result in increased floods, droughts, heatwaves, rising sea levels, and the extinction of animals and plants. Global emissions have increased by approximately 70% since the 1970s. China has surpassed the United States as the largest emitter, followed by the European Union, Russia, and India. One billion people from nearly 90 countries are expected to participate in Earth Hour, an event started by WWF in 2007 and went global in 2008. According to the U.N. Climate Panel, rich nations need to reduce their emissions by 25-40% below 1990 levels by 2020 to prevent the worst effects of warming, while developing nations also need to slow the rise of their emissions by the same year. Andy Ridley, the executive director of Earth Hour, explained to reporters at Sydney's Bondi Beach that the main purpose of the event is to encourage people to consider how they can reduce their carbon footprint, even if only for an hour, and hopefully continue these actions beyond that time. In Asia, famous landmarks in countries like China, Singapore, Thailand, and the Philippines turned off their lights as people celebrated Earth Hour with candle-lit picnics and concerts. In Singapore, buildings in the business district and major landmarks like the Singapore Flyer participated in the event. Other global landmarks including the Petronas Towers in Kuala Lumpur, the Reserve Bank in Mumbai, the dome of St Peter's Basilica in Rome, the Great Pyramids in Egypt, and the Acropolis in Athens also went dark in support of Earth Hour.