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Live Earth Concert – how effective is it?

The Live Earth was conducted last Saturday on 7^th of July 2007. It was a series of concerts designed to raise awareness about man made climatic change and promote environmentally friendly living. The concerts was held in seven continents in the world and broadcasted to the global audience through radio, television and the Internet.

This major joint movement by the different countries to advocate for a more environmental friendly lifestyle is quite successful to some degree. Reports revealed that it had attracted more than ten millions viewers worldwide. Indeed, to a certain extent, it had raised our awareness to the climatic changes that are occurring globally. More than 100 artists were invited to perform in various cities for a good cause - help to spread the message to the public and in a way, influence them to be involved in a greener lifestyle. Climatic effects and measures to minimise the effects are shown on videos which are easily accessible on television and the internet, to educate the public on their roles in the campaign for a greener environment.

However, an irony was seen after the Live Earth concerts ended in the different countries. The purpose of the Live Earth was to change the mindsets of the public to save the earth, hoping that they would internalise this knowledge and put it to use. However, the aftermath of these concerts was disastrous. Plastic bottles and cups were strewn on the grounds by spectators involved in the concerts. There was no sense of environmental friendliness. Moreover, the amount of waste left behind by the audience was horrifying. Reports again revealed that the travel and energy consumption of the artists and spectators involved amounted to 31,500 tonnes. This was more than 3,000 times the annual average carbon footprint of someone living in Britain. This had led us to realise that old habits die hard. By generating this huge amount of waste, we are not saving ourselves and our homes. But instead, doing more harm to our planet Earth.

It may be time to reflect what we, the guardians of the Earth, want to achieve at the end of the day. There will be limited success to any movement to save the earth if we do not kick the habit of wastage.

posted by Si Hui @ 1:22 PM