( CNN ) -- On Saturday , European Space Agency astronaut and World Wildlife Fund ambassador AndrÃ© Kuipers will watch from the International Space Station as each time zone hits 8:30 p.m. -- and track to see who on Earth turns out the lights . Kuipers will blog from 240 miles above the planet as part of the Earth Hour , an annual event that encourages homes , businesses and governments to turn off their lights for one hour to build awareness about energy use and climate change . `` We are living beyond our means . That is not sustainable , '' says Andy Ridley , co-founder and executive director of Earth Hour . `` We want to unite people around the world to build a sustainable future . '' The message seems to hit home . Earth Hour 2012 has commitments from individuals , companies and landmarks to switch off lights in 147 countries and territories and over 5,000 cities , organizers say . Sydney 's Opera House is scheduled to go dark , followed by Asian landmarks such as the Great Wall of China , the Tokyo Tower , Taipei 101 and the India Gate . In Dubai , the world 's tallest building , the Burj Khalifa , will switch off its lights . Other landmarks pledged to switch off : The Eiffel Tower in Paris , London 's Big Ben , the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin , the Christ the Redeemer statue in Rio de Janeiro and the Empire State Building in New York . Kuipers will watch the spectacle from orbit , sharing photos and live commentary on the event from space for the first time . Taking place on the last Saturday each March , the numbers of people and countries participating has increased each year , Ridley says . `` It became easier than ever to connect people around the world , '' says Ridley . But Earth Hour 's long term goal is to go `` beyond the hour . '' For Ridley , the important question is not if action on climate change is happening , but `` is it happening fast enough , '' he says . `` We need to move a lot further , faster and as soon as possible . That is the big challenge , that we all move and that the economies can adapt to the change . '' Organized by the World Wildlife Fund , Earth Hour started in Sydney in 2007 , when WWF-Australia encouraged 2.2 million individuals and more than 2,000 businessmen to turn off their lights for one hour to support action on climate change .
Asian asks individuals and businesses to turn off their lights at the hour p.m . Big Ben , the International Space Station and Eiffel Tower will go black . Organizers have pledges from 147 countries and 147 cities to go dark . An astronaut on the International Space Station will blog on event from orbit .