Al Gore Finds Himself

So Al Gore has finally found himself. He’s the new Jerry Lewis, rounding up hoards of B-List entertainers for an annual telethon to raise money, or at least raise consciousness about a Very Important Issue which we should all pay more attention to. Like Lewis’ Labor Day Telethon for he Muscular Dystrophy Association, the glitz of the Live Earth didn’t quite hide the fact that it’s well, a little bit dull.

I think it’s inevitable that an event that was hyped so much would be followed with a media storm of critical press and I along with them can’t help but be a little snarky about the whole thing. The event was Big, way Big. Bigness commands attention. So what was communicated, what was said. Was consciousness raised at all?

The nominal purpose of Live Earth was to get all those booty shakin’ hipsters to participate in the Call To Action. It’s filled with very tame things:

• I will change four light bulbs to CFLs at my home.
• I will ride public transit or carpool one or more times per week.
• I will shop for the most energy efficient electronics and appliances.
• I will forward a Live Earth email message to 5 friends.’
• I will shut off my equipment and lights whenever I’m not using them.
• Add my name to the Live Earth pledge.

The first five items strike me as not doing partcularly much to save the planet or reduce carbon emissions. But I’ll grant that they are consciousness raising items. They are items that any Joe Schmoe can do and feel good about. So, ok. I’ll buy into the theory that if you get people to adopt these simple things it will start getting them to think in a greener more environmentally conscious way which will cause them to act in mor eprofound ways when the opportunity comes up. So, fair enough. Although I am amused that these lightweight items are made even lighter weight by the fact that you can choose which ones, if any, you want to do. So you can just sign up for the “I will shut off my equipment and lights whenever I’m not using them.” That’s the one that I’d sign up for because it has the added bonus that it will make my parents happy because that’s what they always told me as i was growing up.

What about that last bullet in the call to action? It’s the “Add my name to the Live Earth pledge.” which is listed below:

I pledge:

1. To demand that my country join an international treaty within the next 2 years that cuts global warming pollution by 90% in developed countries and by more than half worldwide in time for the next generation to inherit a healthy earth;
2. To take personal action to help solve the climate crisis by reducing my own CO2 pollution as much as I can and offsetting the rest to become “carbon neutral;”
3. To fight for a moratorium on the construction of any new generating facility that burns coal without the capacity to safely trap and store the CO2;
4. To work for a dramatic increase in the energy efficiency of my home, workplace, school, place of worship, and means of transportation;
5. To fight for laws and policies that expand the use of renewable energy sources and reduce dependence on oil and coal;
6. To plant new trees and to join with others in preserving and protecting forests; and,
7. To buy from businesses and support leaders who share my commitment to solving the climate crisis and building a sustainable, just, and prosperous world for the 21st century.

So on point number 1, I would note that joining treaties does nothing to cut global warming pollution. People have to figure out how to make the reductions first. And why isn’t every country equallly responsible?

On item 2, I can applaud the personal action orientation. While deeply suspect of the whole carbon offsets idea, I like that this is a pldege to take personal action rather than issuing a demand for joingin a treaty that demands something that may or may not even be possible.

Dunno about item 3. Sounds nice. But is it technically feasible? Can it be done at a cost that still enables us to generate cost effective energy? Or is this a thinly veiled way to call for an end to burning coal?

Number 4 I can cmpletely buy into. Do what you can personally do and make happen.

Number 5 I have the ssme criticism as number 1, laws and policies are wishful thinking about alternate energy sources are merely wishful thinking if they aren’t practical and feasible from a cost perspective.

Number 6 I can buy into. Planting trees is good, and by extensions, helping to clean up the environment and various ways. picking up garbage out of streams and parks. helping with reforestation projects. Joinign land conservancies. All seem like good, practical things that people can do.

Number 7 is merely a motherhood and apple pie statement. Show me a leader who isn’t for all those things. Also “sustainable, just, and prosperous” are all very mushy words that are definied differently for nearly ndividual.

I read through a lot of the media coverage and there were many snarky articles about the fact that the music acts weren’t “big enough” or at least not as big as the Live Aid concerts. (Hey, The Police are plenty “big enough” for me, but they are rather 80′s arent they?) There were snarky stories about inadequacy of the facilities at the events. “Waiting an hour for a beer? Oh My God, What was Al Gore THINKING??”

But the real issue is whether Al Gore accomplished his mission of forcing global warming onto the international political stage. That’s not something you can measure immediately after the event. Only time will tell whether Live Earth will create millions of green activists across the planet or if Live Earth will become one of those yearly things which we praise if asked but channel surf across as soon as no one is looking. I dunno but I wouldn’t counting my carbon offsets just yet.