From the Tronoto Star: Live Earth message lost in the fumes.
At the London concert, Madonna wrote and performed a new song ("Hey You"). Hey us? Right, like we're the ones hurtling across the skies in private jets."It's a bit patronizing for us 21-year-olds to try to start to change the world," Arctic Monkeys drummer Matt Helders told Agence France-Presse, explaining why the band declined to be a part of Live Earth. "Especially when we're using enough power for 10 houses just for lighting. It'd be a bit hypocritical."
From AP: Just how green is Live Earth?.
Live Earth organizers have gone to considerable lengths to marry the global event's methods with its message, but they've been called hypocrites by critics as varied as a Congressman and one of the Who. ..."The last thing the planet needs is a rock concert," Who lead singer Roger Daltrey recently told a British newspaper. ...
To maintain its green integrity, Live Earth is implementing "green event guidelines" for its concerts. ...
"This is going to be the greenest event of its kind, ever," former Vice President and Live Earth partner Al Gore told The Associated Press. "The carbon offsets and the innovative practices that are being used to make this a green event, I think, will set the standard for years to come." ...
Others have voiced skepticism that carbon-neutral efforts don't absolve pollution. (The concept of carbon neutral is to offset carbon dioxide emissions with the help of companies that cancel out carbons in some way, such as by planting trees.)
[John] Picard has called offsets "a necessary evil right now." Live Earth's U.S. carbon offsetting will be handled by Native Energy, a Native American energy company.
From Reuters: Live Earth's first green test: clean up own mess.
"It's a dilemma for Live Earth -- they have to create carbon to save carbon," said Michael Buick, spokesman of Climate Care which helps invest in clean energy to offset greenhouse gases.
From the MSNBC: Many wonder if Live Earth made any difference.
They rocked the world, but as the clean-up at nine climate change gigs around the globe begins, many wonder if the galaxy of pop stars did much to change it.U.S. and British media were generally underwhelmed on Sunday by Live Earth, the mega-concert organized by former U.S. vice president and green campaigner Al Gore, which, though built on the model of Live Aid and Live 8, created a less positive buzz. ...
Several articles examined the green credentials of artists on the day, including Madonna, whose annual "carbon footprint" was estimated at around 100 times the average Briton’s.
Commentators noted the difficulty in marrying pop music with serious themes like the environment.
"Mixing music and a serious message gives concert a clunky rhythm,” was the Washington Post’s description of the Wembley gig, arguably the biggest lineup on the day that featured Red Hot Chili Peppers, Metallica and the Foo Fighters.
From JunkScience.com: Live Earth’s Gross Groupies. (via TIA Daily)
Posted by Forkum at July 9, 2007 02:37 PM
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