Zagreb, Pula, Rijeka, Crikvenica, Varaždin, Bjelovar, Đakovo, Ogulin, and other cities across Croatia, including the entire Makarska Riviera, participated by turning off the lights on their most recognisable landmarks.
The walls of Dubrovnik and the southern façade of Diocletian’s Palace—both UNESCO World Heritage Sites in Croatia—went dark for an hour again this year, joining around 50 other UNESCO landmarks worldwide that have long taken part in the WWF initiative.
In Zagreb, the action was marked at Nikola Šubić Zrinski Square and Marko Marulić Square, where a special event was held in support of the WWF campaign.
"We briefly paused the programme of the Zagreb Festival of Lights, and during the premiere of Water Symphony by Alex Brajković, we reflected in the darkness of Marulić Square on the changes we can make to become more responsible inhabitants of our planet," Petra Boić Petrač, WWF Adria’s Communications Director, told Hina.
Boić Petrač emphasised that working with nature, rather than against it, could help address many societal challenges. For example, restoring forests, wetlands, and coastal habitats can absorb carbon emissions and help communities adapt to climate change.
"We must allow nature to regenerate so that it can fight back against the many challenges imposed by climate change and human activity," she urged.
WWF Adria, in collaboration with the Zagreb Tourist Board, is also participating in the 3D mapping projection We Are All Connected on the façade of the National Archives at Marulić Square as part of the Zagreb Festival of Lights. This year’s theme is the power of water, symbolically linked to World Water Day, which also falls on Saturday, 22 March.
WWF Adria has called on Croatian citizens, businesses, and institutions to join "Earth Hour" by switching off their lights for an hour at 8:30 PM on Saturday.
"We are witnessing increasingly extreme climate changes, and according to the latest State of the Planet report, global wildlife populations have declined by a shocking 73% over the past 50 years," WWF Adria warned, urging everyone to turn off their lights for an hour and reflect on what can be done before it is too late.
This year, 195 countries are taking part in the initiative, which began at 8:30 PM local time with the switching off of public lighting at iconic landmarks in cities across New Zealand, Boić Petrač noted.