At 8:30 p.m. (local time), the world is going to turn off the lights for an hour.

The reason? It's Earth Hour. 

This year, Earth Hour aims to capitalize on the excitement generated by the historic climate talks in Paris this past November.

"Earth Hour reminds us that while people are on the front line of climate change, they are also our first line of defense. Our actions today, as individuals and the global community, have the power to transform what the world will look like for generations to come," Siddarth Das, Earth Hour's Global executive director, said in a statement via  Reuters. 

Earth Hour is an ongoing campaign started by the World Wildlife Federation to raise awareness for climate change issues around the world.

The first Earth Hour was held in 2007 in Sydney, Australia. Since then, it has exploded across the world. In 2015, 172 countries participated by shutting the lights for a full hour.

Already, cities around the world are unplugging as the clock strikes 8:30 p.m. local time:

 And here you can see the highlights from 2015:

SEE ALSO: The 5 greenest countries in the world

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