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Famous People Against (Your) Carbon: Does Live Earth Matter?

by Judith Lewis

July 5, 2007 7:07 AM

Over at China Dialogue, where -- coolest of cool things -- your comments will be posted in both English and Chinese, Sam Geall, smartly asks the question that's been nagging all of us Live Earth cynics (i.e., those of us who don't live in one of those cities where the concerts are): What's the point? I mean, is staging seven hugely consumptive rock concerts on seven continents, complete with stars too big-name to fly on regularly scheduled Virgin Airways flights, and instead waft in on private jets? Think of the lights, the (bottled) water, the meals, the staff, the trucking in of equipment, staging, massage therapists, duct tape, swag, promotional t-shirts (made in China)! Live Earth isn't raising money for a cause; it's not a shining example of a new, carb0n-lean model of production aesthetics (although its producers do promise a "sustainable" show -- whatever that means). It's just a bunch of rock concerts staged to get attention. Leaving aside attention-getters like the world's weird weather, the melting of Greenland ice sheets and drowning polar bears, can a rock concert really be that green?

Here's how Geall gripes about it:

[C]an you really raise awareness with a lavish global event that is itself a massive act of consumption, and when all the people who are leading it have a personal carbon footprint many times that of the average citizen, let alone the poorest?

According to an estimate commissioned by the BBC, Madonna emits more carbon each year than 100 average Britons – or more than 300 average Chinese. Add to that what the rock-stars’ fans emit travelling around to follow their idols (a US blogger picked up on one dedicated follower of antipodean soft-rockers Crowded House, who announced, without irony, that he is “travelling all the way around the world from Scotland to Sydney to see Crowded House.”)

It's worth reading the whole piece, including the little nugget about Alive Earth, the counter-concert to be held exclusively online (all those computers, though, running on coal . . . there's no way to win). It's especially worth reading so you can write a comment that will be shared with all those readers in China. To me, that's even better than watching Madonna (love her though I do), rock against carbon.

(More about that bottled water -- the greatest hoax ever perpetrated on the American people -- to come).

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There are 2 comments posted for this article.

Now you've got me envisioning a Green Rock movement where the idea is: a major group makes a big ecological contribution by staying home and off the road for a year (Bon Jovi, are you listening?).

Meanwhile, I believe Carbon Footprint will be at the Roxy next week (opening act: World's Weird Weather)...

Posted on July 5, 2007 6:07 AM by mernitman

And Bon Jovi played! Hey, didn't I see you in the crowd? Fans of Jon! Yah!

Good show on this right now on Warren Olney: www.kcrw.org

Posted on July 9, 2007 11:07 AM by Judith Lewis

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