Al Gore plans concerts for climate

Simultaneous concerts on July 7 will aim to mobilise action against global warming.

LIVE EARTH
Gore, second from left, has been endorsed by  many people from the entertainment industry [Reuters]

‘Inconvenient truth’

 

Organisers of the concerts and the new campaign Save Our Selves (SOS) hope to reach a global audience of 2 billion people through concert attendance, radio, television and internet broadcasts.

 

“In order to solve the climate crisis, we have to reach billions of people,” Gore said.

 

“We are moving from what Al has done for thousands and the movie for millions, we will put together 2 billion sets of eyeballs on a global basis”

Kevin Wall, Live8 producer

“We are launching SOS and Live Earth to begin a process of communication that will mobilise people all over the world to take action.

 

“The climate crisis will only be stopped by an unprecedented and sustained global movement.

 

“We hope to jump-start that movement right here, right now, and take it to a new level on July 7, 2007,” Gore said.

 

Gore, who lost his bid for US president in 2000, has since become one of the most visible activists on global warming.

 

His film documentary “An Inconvenient Truth” has been nominated for an Oscar at the Academy Awards on February 25.

 

Model

 

The Live Earth concerts follow the model of the 1985 Live Aid and 2005 Live8 international concerts organised by Irish rock star Bob Geldof.

 

Live Aid raised money for African famine relief and Live8 sought to pressure world leaders to eradicate the debts of the world’s poorest nations.

 

Kevin Wall, executive producer for Live8, said he got the idea of Live Earth after seeing “An Inconvenient Truth” last year.

 

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“In order to solve the climate crisis, we have to reach billions of people”

Al Gore, former US vice president

An Inconvenient Truth

“We are moving from what Al has done for thousands and the movie for millions, we will put together 2 billion sets of eyeballs on a global basis,” Wall said.

 

Wall said each concert will last from four to eight hours and at any given time in the 24-hour period two or three shows will be running simultaneously.

 

The line-ups also will include local talent to appeal to the regional audiences.

 

Top Spanish-language band Mana from Mexico will interrupt its tour in Spain to play for Live Earth in Europe or Brazil.

 

“We want to be a huge part of this,” said Mana’s Alex Gonzalez.

 

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Source: News Agencies