Notes on Live Earth (and some ranting)

The Live Earth concerts – is it a self-conflicting contradiction to hold a series of carbon-emitting concerts around the globe asking the world to take action against human-induced climate change?  Or will the concerts be positively effective, not only in raising awareness but in bringing about real change?

#The concerts?  They were certainly not carbon-neutral but it has made concert organisers look at alternative, enviro-friendlier ways of staging gigs/events.  That has to be a good thing.  We all love live music.  But would it have been more appropriate to hold smaller, local events in pubs and clubs, with proper live music and less electricity usage?  Yes, but it wouldn’t have generated the same publicity, hence the awareness.  And fair enough – the concert organisers tried to reduce travel emissions by strategically getting peformers to play at the concerts of the country that they were already on tour or living in.  But that won’t be relevant for the performer’s future tours because a world tour is just that – a world tour, which will involve many flights and energy-use. 

#The performers – if they want to credibly preach to the masses about this, surely we should expect them to enviro-retrofit their own behaviour?  Maybe some already did.  Maybe some will – for a few years, weeks, days.  I suppose it has made the performers look into their own tour-habits but I seriously doubt that the majority of them can or would-be-willing-to scale down their tours . . . their huge entourage . . . their truck-loads of equipment . . . their flights across the globe etc. enough to make a substantial impact.  And in their private lives?  Their careers allow them to live indulgent lifestyles and I highly doubt that many would trade in their fleet of gas-guzzling Posh-Cars for a Smart Car and a bicycle – or the bus!  Oh, I’m sure they’ll stick a solar-panel or two onto the roofs of their many houses.  And maybe they’ll pay a housekeeper to recycle their waste for them.  And for sure they’ll get round to having their swimming-pools solar-heated.  They can afford those gestures.  And that’s not to knock them for it.  It’s commendable.  But is it enough to offset the rest of their personal and work footprint which is, let’s face it, much bigger than the one left by your average plumber or nurse?

#The people?  Will it make them change their attitude?  Maybe for some.  Maybe for some for a day or two.  But many of those people who bought tickets and attended the concerts will have been environmentally aware anyway and were there to support the cause.  And I reckon (perhaps cynically) that the majority of the rest of the people that attended the concerts were there simply because, let’s be honest, it’s a great opportunity to see so many famous and high-profile starts performing under one roof for the price of a ticket that, anywhere else, they would have paid to see just one band. 

#The governements? I’m sure they’ll take about as much notice as they did for the G8 concerts or any other  ‘Concert-with-a-Cause’  but it has brought awareness to some countries and people that would otherwise have remained largely uninformed or unmotivated.

Yet, after all that, although my mind’s not entirely made up about my opening question I would say that the ‘againsts’ outweigh the ‘fors’.  So, in conclusion, t’was probably a waste of time and energy (lot’s of energy).

But it does seem to have re-sparked the debate as to whether humans are actually contributing to climate change or not.   Well although this debate should have been more-or-less concluded by the IPCC report, I’ve lot’s to say on that . . . . .                    

Thing is, even if we weren’t such big players in global warming – indeed, even if we didn’t contribute anything at all, the humongous fact is, we are still gratuitously and immorally abusing this wonderful planet that generously houses and feeds us.  We are still taking more than we need . . . .

We are cutting down rainforests hence destroying carbon sinks.

We are destroying and changing eco-systems, altering nature, which in turn is affecting the main global eco-system – the Whole.

We are causing the unnecessary extinction of many species of animals.

We are still degrading, exploiting and enslaving our animals for the sake of entertainment.

We are polluting our oceans causing much detriment to marine eco-systems and the creatures of the sea.

We are constantly emitting health-compromising fumes into our towns and cities, causing increases in respiratory diseases, in particular childhood asthma.

We are playing god with our food (GM trials) causing irreversible and somewhat unknown consequences.

We are spending obscene amounts of time and public money on the development of more and more nuclear weapons, antagonising other countries into proliferation and heightening global tensions.

We are spending obscene amounts of time and public money on ludicrous and senseless wars. Money that could be more ethically spent on the betterment of humanity.

We are exploiting our less fortunate and poorer co-humans, perpetuating the cycle of povery and misery, just so we can hang on to our own consumerist and indulgent lifestyles.

So, whether it’s a human-induced global warming or some kind of natural cyclical process of Earth, we still need to revert back to a more natural, equal and peaceful way of life – one in which we can all share the benefits, where all species of life can share the bounty that this good and beautiful Earth has to offer.

Dream on EP.