Lights were turned off at famous tourist spots and residences worldwide on Saturday for Earth Hour 2009, an international event aimed at drawing attention to the dangers of 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. The organizers believe that this demonstration reflects the desire of millions of people for governments to reach a new U.N. agreement to combat global warming by the end of 2009, despite concerns about the economic impact. Kim Carstensen, head of a global climate initiative at WWF, expressed optimism about the possibility of a new climate deal during U.N. climate talks in Bonn, Germany. "We are distributing it to everyone who is turning off their lights," he commented while delegates and activists enjoyed blue cocktails. According to the U.N. Climate Panel, greenhouse gas emissions are causing global warming and will result in increased occurrences of floods, droughts, heatwaves, rising sea levels, and the extinction of various animal and plant species. 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. The U.N. Climate Panel suggests that wealthy nations must reduce their emissions to 25-40% below 1990 levels by 2020 to prevent severe effects of climate change. Developing nations must also decrease their emissions by 2020. Earth Hour, started in Australia in 2007 and expanded globally in 2008, drew 50 million participants. WWF, the organizer, aims to involve one billion people from almost 90 countries. Andy Ridley, the executive director of Earth Hour, explained to reporters at Sydney's Bondi Beach that the main purpose of Earth Hour is to encourage people to consider ways to reduce their carbon footprint, even if only for an hour, and hopefully continue to make environmentally friendly choices beyond that hour. In Asia, landmarks in countries like China, Singapore, Thailand, and the Philippines turned off their lights as people enjoyed candle-lit picnics and concerts. In Singapore, buildings in the business district and major landmarks like the Singapore Flyer participated in the event by going dark. Other famous landmarks around the world, such as 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 switched off their lights in support of Earth Hour.