11 April 2007Adam Sherwin
It took Bob Geldof’s persuasive powers to rally support in aid of Africa. Now Al Gore is hoping to help to save the planet with a day of global concerts designed to raise awareness of climate change.
Madonna and the Police will be the star attractions at a series of concerts stretching from London to Shanghai organised by Mr Gore, the former US Vice-President, to raise awareness of climate change.
More than 100 acts will take part on five continents in the Live Earth event, scheduled to take place on July 7. The organisers hope to reach an audience of two billion people via television, radio and the internet.
Red Hot Chili Peppers, the reformed Genesis and Madonna will be headline attractions at the British concert, which will be staged at the new Wembley Stadium.
Star names will appear at events in the United States, Australia, Brazil, South Africa, Japan and China during a day of music that organisers say will “deliver a call to action” on global warming — and provide some practical solutions to dealing with climate change.
Mr Gore said: “By attracting an audience of billions, we hope that Live Earth will launch a global campaign giving a critical mass of people around the world the tools they need to help to solve the climate crisis.”
The concerts are modelled on Bob Geldof’s Live8 event in 2005, which focused attention on debt relief for Africa.
But Mr Gore recognises that rock stars alone cannot save the world. “Ultimately, corporations and governments must become global leaders taking decisive action to stop global warming,” said Mr Gore, whose documentary on climate change, An Inconvenient Truth, won two Oscars.
Mr Gore has called for emissions of carbon dioxide by the US, the largest source of greenhouse gas, to be pegged at present levels.
A novice as a stadium rock promoter, Mr Gore has engaged Kevin Wall and Harvey Goldsmith, the producers of Live8, to secure his wish list of music megastars. However, the organisers of Live Earth are aware that the concerts themselves will require a vast amount of kilowatt-hours (kWh) of electricity to be staged.
They have hired John Picard, a sustainability expert and former member of President Clinton’s White House environmental task force, to help to generate the first “green” stadium rock shows. The electricity used at the concerts will be from biodiesel generators and renewable utility supplies.
Food and drink sellers will be directed to suppliers of agricultural or biodegradable plastics such as those made from corn. A comprehensive recycling system for waste is promised at each venue.
Vehicles used to transport the likes of Madonna and Kanye West to the stage will be petrol-electric hybrids or run on other clean fuel sources. VIP air travel required to get stars to the stadiums will be offset by carbon credits.
A spokesman for Live Earth said: “We hope to implement a new green event standard that will become the model for carbon-neutral concerts and other live entertainment events.”
More acts will be announced for the shows, with Bruce Springsteen, Kylie Minogue, Muse and Bono in the organisers’ sights.
Tickets for the London show cost £55 and will be allocated by ballot to minimise touting. Fans will be able to pre-register for them at www.livenation.co.uk/liveearth on Friday.
The Police headline an array of big names who have agreed to perform at New Jersey in the Giants Stadium.
Proceeds from the shows will go to the Alliance for Climate Protection, which is chaired by Mr Gore. But the concerts themselves will cost millions of dollars to stage, and corporate sponsorship is being sought.
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/us_and_americas/article1637453.ece?print=yes
