"If we keep up the double talk, we may be able to keep our do-nothing jobs!"
Posted on 07/07/2007 10:13:52 PM PDT by peggybac
Rock fans on Saturday shrugged off criticism of Live Earth for booking jet-setting pop stars to preach action on climate change, insisting the worldwide concerts would have a positive impact. Acts at the London leg of the 24-hour music marathon, aimed at raising awareness of global warming and pressuring politicians to enact legislation, included Madonna, the Red Hot Chili Peppers and Foo Fighters.
But critics have suggested the performers are in danger of appearing hypocritical as they preach about climate change to crowds while themselves leaving a massive carbon footprint with their flights around the world.
Fans in the crowd at Wembley Stadium were unperturbed, with 27-year-old Neil Hanafin telling AFP that, on balance, the concert was "more of a positive thing. Raising awareness is what this whole thing is about."
Sitting next to him, 21-year-old Leanne Clarke, agreed, adding that "without this, I don't think they can do it."
The pair, wearing Live earth bandanas, said they were "quite worried about the planet" and hoped the global concerts had a similar impact to the Live 8 concerts two years ago to boost Western aid to developing countries.
Organisers hope the gigs will "make climate change sexy", according to Steve Howard, the founder of the "We're In This Together" environmental campaign.
"We hopefully will capture their hearts and minds on climate change," he told AFP, speaking of the crowds packing out stadiums around the world, and the two billion people expected to be watching on television and over the Internet.
He conceded that "yes, there has been some pollution caused by flying people in."
"But that's what we needed to do -- it was a calculated investment to say, 'We need to do this because we need to grab two billion people' rather than just me going on stage and nobody watching."
Howard said the majority of acts at the London event were either already in the city for other performances, or in the area, thereby reducing the carbon emissions from their travel.
Live Earth organiser Al Gore, former US vice president turned green campaigner, answered criticism of Live Earth's stars in British newspaper The Independent on Saturday.
"We are in a transition time in history when the only way we can get to where we need to be is by starting from where we are," he said.
"If we simply spend our time criticising one another for where we are, that will further delay our departure for where we need to be."
Organisers of the London leg were trumpeting environmentally-friendly measures being taken at the concert.
All burger boxes at the north-west London venue have been made of sugar cane and reed pulp, making them fully biodegradable, and all grease from concession stands is to be converted into biodiesel.
Some 80 percent of the waste generated at the concert was also set to be recycled, and the use of light-emitting diodes (LEDs) on stage apparently led to a 50 percent reduction in energy used through lighting.
Electricity, meanwhile, was being supplied by biofuel generators, while the programmes for the London event were produced on recycled paper by a publisher using electricity garnered from renewable sources.
Elsewhere in the audience in London on Saturday, Jayme Fine, 32, said fans could take measures to compensate for the energy used at the concerts.
"People leaving their lights on at home when nobody's there is going to eat up electricity," he said.
"If we all just remember to shut those off, it's OK for us to have an event like this."
"If we simply spend our time criticising one another for where we are,
that will further delay our departure for where we need to be."
Heh?
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This one is just to good to let go...LOL
WOW - watching the hippies was like reading DU. Really funny too!
hmmmm...al gore eats electricity all by himself...(the lights are on but nobody's home)
bttt
The quote about leaving lights on in an empty house is right in line with the Sheryl Crow admonition re one square of toilet paper.
This massive effort is telling the young kids and young adults, “YOU ARE JUST NOT UPSET ENOUGH”.
I wonder if anybody did a survey of what kinds of cars were in the parking lots at these concerts? My bet would be they were chock full of gas guzzling SUV's or old smoking VW buses.....
“I’ve always detested the “raise awareness” mantra. Its just another way to not actually have to do anything, except pat yourself on the back & feel smug.”
How exactly does one “raise awareness” of one of the most discussed topics on the planet? I mean, are there really people at these concerts going, “Global Warming? What the hell is that?”
“He is going to take another crack at it. That’s the point of “The Live Earth Concert”.”
I disagree. The purpose of these concerts was simply to make some money. The global warming angle is just marketing.
Algore played too much leapfrog with unicorns as a child.
What's amusing to me is that all the usual dumbasses that participated in "Live Earth" (ostensibly to save the planet) also participated in "Live 8" -- to PAVE the planet and bring the third world into the modern age.
It means you can’t criticize him because that would be mean and certainly unproductive for his bloated wallet.
I hate gore and anyone that bows at the alter of satanic ecolism.
LLS
LLS
and when told that, they prolly stuck their fingers in their ears while chanting "LaLaLaLaLaLaLaLaaa" too... look... the Emperor has NO CLOTHES!!!
See what I mean? They just automatically fall into line behind whatever the latest leftwing "cause" is- totally mindless idiots.
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