Organizers have also invited people all over the world to stage their own Live Earth-related events, with nearly 7,000 planned in about 130 countries. Canadian events include groups and individuals hosting small festivals, concerts and parties in cities such as Vancouver, Montreal and Toronto. Despite the green-minded intentions of organizers, the concert series has drawn a host of complaints from some prominent voices.
Live Aid and Live 8 founder Bob Geldof has denounced Live Earth as simply "an enormous pop concert" without concrete pledges from politicians to take action on environmental issues. Rock legend Roger Daltrey also told a British newspaper recently that "the last thing the planet needs is a rock concert" in which stars are flown to far-flung locales in fuel-guzzling aircraft. However, Gore and Live Earth organizers have said that concerts will be as green as possible, with a host of measures being taken, including: A tally of the energy being used at all venues.
Use of electricity from renewable energy sources. Use of hybrid or high-efficiency vehicles for land transportation. The purchase of carbon offset credits to compensate for air travel.
Use of recyclable or biodegradable concessions containers. Proceeds from ticket sales earmarked for environmental charities and initiatives. Wall, who organized the 2005 Live 8 famine- and debt-relief concert series, and Gore have also unveiled a Seven-Point Pledge that they will ask all concertgoers to sign.
The pledge includes a range of promises, from working to reduce one's own carbon dioxide emissions to putting pressure on one's government to adopt environmental policies. Musician and anti-poverty activist Bob Geldof, who organized the Live Aid and Live 8 concerts, is among those who have criticized the Live Earth concert series. Aside from this criticism, organizers have also had to battle lack of interest and flagging ticket sales in some venues and security concerns for the Rio de Janeiro concert.
An edition in Istanbul was cancelled in June — before tickets went on sale — because local parties were unable to get adequate governmental and private sector support or drum up enough public interest for the concert. The Johannesburg concert was relocated to a venue much closer to the city centre, with "logistical requirements" given as the official reason. Reports of sluggish ticket sales However, local sources said the move more a result of slow ticket sales — which have reportedly been sluggish in many of the concert venues, with the exception of the U.
K. and U.S.
shows, where most of the top artists will perform. The Rio show was briefly threatened this week when a judge suspended the show because of concerns about a lack of adequate security. She reversed her decision a day later after authorities rearranged their schedules to provide enough officers to patrol the city's famed Copacabana Beach — site of a massive, free Live Earth concert.
Still, in addition to the more than one million people scheduled to attend the concerts live, Live Earth officials are looking to reach a further two billion viewers tuning via international broadcasters around the globe and online streaming by MSN. With files from the Associated Press PHOTO GALLERY: Green Party: Images from the Live Earth concerts QUIZ: Everything's Gone Green: Test your knowledge of environmental pop culture Judge gives Rio Live Earth show the go-ahead Montreal plans its answer to Live Earth Gore announces Live Earth concerts for climate change Organizers have also invited people all over the world to stage their own Live Earth-related events, with nearly 7,000 planned in about 130 countries.
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