[00:00.00]This is the VOA Special English [00:03.39]Development Report. [00:05.44]This Saturday night at eight thirty, [00:08.43]all the lights will be shut off [00:10.86]at the Tokyo Tower in Japan. [00:13.72]The Brandenburg Gate in Berlin [00:16.95]and the Eiffel Tower in Paris [00:20.06]are also expected to go dark. [00:22.92]So is the Empire State Building [00:25.91]in New York and buildings [00:28.33]in other cities around the world. [00:31.49]The lights will stay off [00:33.00]for one hour for an event [00:35.74]called Earth Hour. [00:37.73]The observance is organized [00:40.09]by a conservation group, [00:42.58]the World Wide Fund for Nature, [00:45.69]also known as [00:46.68]the World Wildlife Fund. [00:49.30]For the fourth year, [00:51.40]people are being urged [00:53.39]to turn off their lights [00:55.38]for one hour to call attention [00:58.18]to the issue of climate change. [01:01.29]The group says climate change [01:04.09]is one of the greatest threats [01:06.57] facing wildlife and nature. [01:10.06]The first Earth Hour was held [01:12.92]in two thousand seven [01:14.54]in Sydney, Australia. [01:16.53]Organizers said more than [01:19.89]two thousand businesses [01:22.00]and two million people took part. [01:25.23]Since then, Earth Hour has grown [01:29.09]into an international event. [01:31.89]People in more than [01:34.13]four thousand cities [01:35.87]in eighty-eight countries [01:38.23]took part last year. [01:40.79]Organizers say more than [01:43.64]one hundred countries [01:45.45]and territories have promised [01:47.94] their official support this year. [01:50.86]This will be the first Earth Hour [01:54.09]for countries including Kuwait, [01:57.14]Qatar, Kosovo, Madagascar, [02:00.38]Nepal, Cambodia and Panama. [02:04.30]At least nineteen [02:06.04]of the fifty American states [02:08.40]are planning to take part [02:10.39]in the two thousand ten [02:12.63]Earth Hour observance. [02:14.81]The event organizers recently [02:17.86]announced that one of the latest [02:20.10]states to join was Missouri. [02:23.14]Governor Jay Nixon has agreed [02:25.82]to shut off the lights [02:27.31]in the dome of [02:28.81]the state capitol building. [02:31.17]He says when it comes [02:33.41]to saving energy and money, [02:36.08]big changes start with small steps [02:39.94]like turning out the lights. [02:42.18]Will you be turning off [02:44.85]your lights this Saturday night [02:47.09]to observe Earth Hour? [02:49.02]Do you think about [02:50.82]what the organizers call [02:52.69]your "environmental footprint," [02:55.86]and try to reduce harmful effects? [02:58.85]Is climate change a concern for you? [03:02.02]Here is a chance [03:04.01]to practice your English. [03:05.63]Go to 51voa.com to comment [03:11.35]on this story and other programs. [03:15.14]You can share your thoughts [03:17.82]and read what other people are saying. [03:21.24]You can also find transcripts, [03:25.60]MP3s, podcasts and captioned videos. [03:31.94]And you can sign up [03:33.68]to get a verb phrase of the day by SMS. [03:39.03]The service is free [03:41.08]but standard message rates may apply. [03:45.38]And that's the VOA Special English [03:50.04]Development Report, [03:52.09]written by June Simms. [03:54.15]I'm Steve Ember.