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."
From what I've read, Nader actually puts his money where his mouth is. He doesn't own a car and takes public transportation or rides a bike. Beyond that, I don't know what else, but at least he isn't annoying us with incessant, obnoxious bullying.
Any questioning of his ways is as much an outrage as flushing a Koran, and will be dealt with with calls of "Nazi!" and "So you don't care about the environment?"
I have news for you. He is going to take another crack at it. That's the point of "The Live Earth Concert".
I explained the carbon credit sham by using “indulgences” sold by the church. Great analogy.
Frankly I hope he does, and does so as an Independent! But even if he runs against Her Heinous and Obama on the Democrat ticket, it will just show up the moon-battiness of the Left, and that will only help the Republican nominee.
Gee Al .. where would that be .. a global tax on everyone who breathes??
Follow the money
I seriosly doubt the medieval version of it made as much of a disturbance in the villages compared to the disproportionate amount of attention this nonsense gets today, most of which I would wager is broadcast using conventional means of generating electricity, UN recycled paper, etc.
My serious misgivings come when the penitents want the rest of us to don sackcloth and ashes while they wear 'Brooks Brothers', and send us off barefoot while they ride in lavish carriages.
To continue the concept, though, they must be marginalized, because the Inquisition would not be pretty.
All over junk science.
Our enemies in the world must be laughing their a$$es off, I doubt they could have hatched such a plan.
Thank God that fool was not elected president.
All burger boxes
Burgers? They served burgers? It better have been tofu, because I’m sure Algore knows how environmentally unsound meat production is. From FAO.org titled “Livestock a Major Threat to Environment”:
Livestock now use 30 percent of the earth’s entire land surface, mostly permanent pasture but also including 33 percent of the global arable land used to producing feed for livestock, the report notes. As forests are cleared to create new pastures, it is a major driver of deforestation, especially in Latin America where, for example, some 70 percent of former forests in the Amazon have been turned over to grazing.
That people consider this egotistical big-mouthed muppet some kind of intellectual is really frightening.
LOL
The Rolling Stones should announce their “acoustic and candles” tour, and see how many tickets they sell.
I think that what Al is telling us is that we can’t get there from here, unless we start from over there.
He’s leaving, on a jet plane, can only hope he won’t be back again...leaving on a jet plane....
I’ve got to stop this staying up until 4:30 in the morning.
Heh. That reminds me of a DJ in the game Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas. Her station is a parody of the ‘90s alternative scene, and at the end of a Rage Against the Machine song, she says, “We do not believe your lies! We are protesting by bobbing our heads up and down, by being angry, and by not voting. We’re *really* going to make a difference!”
No, its all about their carbon footprint and amount of pollution per dollar earned and such.
lISTENING TO bIG bLUE nOTE WITH tOBY kEITH http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zvmsHOnTZkM
Al Gore is just a to9tal usleless ass.
These Hypoctitres come and they go like pimples on a monkeys ass and are soon forgotten once they are scratched.
We need a leader in this country not a politician.
We need a Reagan and we need it now.
These Democrat politicians just absolutely make me sick at my stomach.
What a bunch of political pussyies these horrible candidates for office.
Come on people I beg of you please do not let these America haters take this beautiful country from those who love America for what it is, The Greatest Country On Gods Green Earth.
"People leaving their lights on at home when nobody's there is going to eat up electricity," he said.
Ah--Jayme has A Plan. But someone needs to tell him about the KWH consumption at algore's house.
Something tells me that the lights are Off at Jayme's house when he is home.
I was over here once, then decided to go over there. But to get there I had to start from here. Now I'm over there. but I want to get back here. So i need to start from there, which now is here, to get back here which is now there, unless of course I decide to go somewhere else and really wouldn't have a clue how to get there because I lost track of where I am now.
There.
The ruling socialist elite are always above the law, comrade. You simply need to accept that and be content as part of the proletariat. OR we can “re-educate” you. Your choice...
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