Critics say that flying rock stars in on aeroplanes and using a great deal of electricity to power several concerts sends out mixed messages about energy conservation.
"What would be great is if these pop stars - now they realise the damage we are all doing to the climate - look very carefully at their own actions and make some changes themselves," said John Buckley, managing director of the organisation Carbon Footprint.
I am a mite bit cynical about this too. Live Earth should be headlined by Benny Wenda.
This is the spectacle, long live Guy Debord.
We need to put forward the science clearly, there is a plague of lets 'look at doubt to justify filling up our 4 by 4 with fuel on the way to the Lear Jet park'.
We then need to be putting forward structural political change....more is being spent on widening the M1 than expanding our rail network, so we need cheap good public transport, better local services, insulation, proper investment in renewable, passive solar design (you build so that you get sun light and need less fuel to heat).
And we must defend the rainforests, every day the US and UK sell weapons to regimes like Indonesia who cut them down, everyday we use palm oil that comes from dead rainforests.
Concerts could be used to raise awareness but I doubt this one will really get to grips and sadly may fuel wider cyncism than mine.
The Guardian claim SUV manufactures are sponsoring the Live Earth web site!
Al Gore, take the Derek Wall challenge and like me stop flying, even if you took a week off it would help.
Grist Mill by the way has a set of arguments against climate denial under the title 'how to talk to a climate denier', so have a look and spread the word. Turn the tv off put some decent music on and sharpen up your arguments.
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[...] look very carefully at their own actions and make some changes themselves," said John Buckley, managing director of the organisation Carbon Footprint.
more ..., Climate change as spectacle by Derek Wall | via Another Green World | [...]
It should be said that no pop star was flown to any of these concerts because they only allowed stars who were in those particular countries anyway (some were on tour) to take part. Which is why The Who were not on the bill as they are in Denmark.
Also it is pioneering eco-technology and is probably the least energy consumptive concert (taking into account its size of course) there has ever been.
So John Buckley's comments are pretty stupid really, because they choose to ignor the fact that the organisers understand the contradictions of what they are doing and have done their best to minimise the carbon impact of the events.
Some of the interviews with stars today were really interesting on what they are currently doing to reduce the carbon impact of their concerts and what they need to do next.
We *do* need to do lots of the things you suggest - but there need to be more of us doing that - and this process is part of giving optimism to those who think they are on their own and the task is unachievable. Science can't do that.
As Pete Townsend said "Festivals are energy consuming, but at least they involve gatherings of large numbers of real people coming together in a common cause, with joy, humour and optimism."
That is something we cannot do without and, for whatever reason, some people in the green movement have been hell bent on tarnishing.
If 'live earth' is as successful as 'live aide' then we may as well give up now. These spectacular events miss the point by blaming ordinary people for having a car or going on holiday without criticising the social & economic order which for example makes a holiday in Bulgaria cheaper than a holiday in Bournemouth.
If 'green politics' is going to appeal to the masses then it will need to address the reality of every day life. With issues such as the flooding in Hull demonstrating the reality of global warming people are going to radicalise very quickly. The bulk of the population will very quickly become more radical than the present green agenda. There is a tipping point and green politics has not been assertive enough in arguing a clear social and economic agenda. This is because it is too often trying to reach the lowest common denominator.
Joss Stone, "It [Saving the earth] just takes 5 minutes, dig a little hole - plant a tree".
Guy Debords says: Stop quoting me! I didn't wrote about the things on your telly 'Oh it's a spectacle....', i wrote about the totality of the modern society. I never was interested in the cure of any part of it, it must be overthorwn as a whole...
Guy, fair point, especially impressed that you can continue to critique capital when you are dead.
Criticizing Live Earth for its environmental impact is a lame argument. How do you propose to reach 2 billion people without using energy? Promoting your cause from a cave only works if you are Al-Qaeda.
Monica,
if Gore flew less, if they got people from the rainfores on board like Benny Wenda and generally talked about what needs to happen all well and good.
I think incidentally there are other ways of putting forward ideas like the web! which is where you heard my ideas.
I get read by thousands, there a thousand more green bloggers like me....it builds without using a jet plane.
Yes Derek but the average Joe in the UK could not care less about Benny Wanda whereas they are more interested in the Foo Fighters. That ain't going to change so get over it.
I think people do get it. Al Gore is able to do this kind of stunt because people do understand that global warming is an issue and take it seriously. He's mostly preaching to the converted.
Where people do have a problem is solutions. Most people understand the problem and even get that economic growth is bad. But how do we stop the economy ? Al Gore certainly won't deal with this question because he is firmly pro big business. This is the contradiction at the heart of the spectacle. LB
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