Earth Hour, a global environmental initiative run by the Worldwide Wildlife Fund, is being observed Saturday.

In the evening, people across the country will turn off lights for an hour in their homes. Also floodlights illuminating landmarks, such as the Palace of Culture and Science in Warsaw, will be shut off leaving parts of the city shrouded in darkness.

Agnieszka Sznyk-Basalyga from the Polish chapter of WWF said the action has two objectives. The organizers want to raise the awareness of politicians to the growing public support for ecology-oriented initiatives. Secondly, the action is educational, as it illustrates how easy it is to save energy and ward off the pending threat of global warming.

Earth Hour was established two years ago in Australia. This year, some 2,500 cities in 82 countries around the world are joining the action.