The lights went out at landmarks across New Zealand on Saturday as the 20th edition of Earth Hour kicked off.

Earth Hour, which originated in Australia in 2006, encourages nations to turn off their lights for an hour in the evening to draw attention to climate change.

This includes everything from private homes, to restaurants and bars, to major world landmarks.

Among the first monuments to go dark at 8:30 p.m. local time were the Sky Tower in Auckland and New Zealand's parliament building in Wellington.

Other monuments set to go dark during the event included the Sydney Opera House, Germany's Brandenburg Gate in Berlin and the Empire State Building in New York.

Climate change still important amid global crises, WWF says

The World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF), which organizes Earth Hour, said that more than 3 million hours were pledged across 118 countries and territories last year.

The organization says the event is still just as relevant 20 years on.

"Currently, the climate crisis is repeatedly pushed into the background in light of the many global challenges. However, it doesn't disappear. On the contrary, it exacerbates many of these crises," said WWF Germany's head of climate Viviane Raddatz.

"With Earth Hour, we are bringing climate action back into the public spotlight. We are making it visible. People care about this issue and it belongs at the very top of the political agenda," she added.

Edited by: Dmytro Hubenko