Eiffel Tower goes dark for 5 minutes for Earth Hour, months before Paris 2015 climate summit

COMBINATION PHOTO - In this two photo combination picture, the Eiffel Tower with its usual lighting at left, and after the lighting was switched off at right, at the occasion of the Earth Hour, in Paris, France, Saturday March 28, 2015. This Saturday, 28 March 8:30 p.m. local time, individuals, businesses, cities and landmarks around the world are switching off their lights for one hour to focus attention on climate change. (AP Photo/Remy de la Mauviniere) (The Associated Press)

Filipinos, wearing luminous shirts and bracelets, dance the Zumba during the symbolic switching off of the lights known as Earth Hour Saturday, March 28, 2015 in Quezon city northeast of Manila, Philippines. Earth Hour, participated in by more than 7,000 cities and townships worldwide, urges households and citizens to switch off their electricity for one hour to help reduce Carbon emissions to help save planet Earth. (AP Photo/Bullit Marquez) (The Associated Press)

The Eiffel Tower has gone dark briefly, with lights going out to mark Earth Hour, the campaign to raise awareness about climate change.

The five-minute dark-out on Saturday night was a symbolic gesture in the City of Light.

France has been preparing for months to host an international climate conference in Paris at the end of the year, pressing nations to set attainable goals for reducing greenhouse gases and mobilizing international finances to fight climate change.

Earth Hour was launched in 2007 by the World Wildlife Fund to encourage awareness of environmental issues. The idea is to turn off lights for an hour — not possible for safety reasons for the Eiffel Tower.