Hosting city of the 2016 Olympic Games, Rio de Janeiro will be the symbol of the second Brazilian edition of “Earth Hour”. The event is an alert against global warming: on March 27th, between 8pm and 9:30pm, the lighting on various monuments and key spots in the city will be switched off. This action will stimulate residents to also turn off the lights in their homes.

Apart from the Statue of Christ the Redeemer and Copacabana Beach, that had their lights turned off in 2009, the reflectors at Arpoador Beach, Nossa Senhora da Penha Church, the Sugar Loaf Mountain and the Brazilian Jockey Club will also be switched off.

It is expected that the Earth Hour movement will mobilize 1 billion people around the world. Last year, 113 Brazilian cities, including 13 capitals – switched off their lights to help create awareness about global warming.