Lights go out for an hour around Spain

Over 200 Spanish towns turned their lights and appliances off in many public buildings for an hour last night as a symbolic gesture to protest over global warming.<.p>

The ‘protest’ was led by the World Wildlife Fund, and Spain's participation has exceeded all initial expectations.

This is the fourth time in 12 months that Countries all around the globe have united in protest - this time involving more building and people than previously.

Madrid saw the Puerta de Alcalá in the dark, as was the Sagrada Familia cathedral in Barcelona, the mosque in Córdoba, the Alhambra palace in Granada, and even the Roman aqueduct in Segovia. The Comunidad Valenciana participated more than any other region in Spain with around 30 towns turning off their lights for an hour.

At least 100 businesses took part in the global shut-down aswell.

The protest has been called the 'Planet Hour', and started in the Chatman Islands in New Zealand before moving on to pass through 25 different time-zones around the world.

Speaking from Japan, the WWF leader James Leape called for Spain to 'continue its leadership' in the field of solar energy. In spite of the recession, Spain is currently a market leader in terms of solar power and is one of the pioneering countries in its development.