Global Concerts Aim to Raise Awareness of Climate Change
More than 150 of the world’s best musical acts will perform in a series of worldwide concerts Saturday to raise awareness about global warming.
The 24-hour concert series, dubbed “Live Earth,” begins in Sydney, Australia and continues across all seven continents with events in places like Tokyo, Shanghai as well as Hamburg, Germany. Performances are also scheduled for Johannesburg, London, Rio de Janeiro, East Rutherford, New Jersey and Washington, DC.
Performers will include Shakira, the Black Eyed Peas, Enrique Iglesias, Snoop Dogg, Madonna, Yusuf Islam (formerly Cat Stevens) and the Red Hot Chili Peppers.
Organizers say they hope to reach an audience of two billion people through concert attendance and radio, television and Internet broadcasts.
Former U.S. Vice President Al Gore is helping to promote the “Live Earth” concerts. Gore has said he hopes the concerts will jump-start “an unprecedented and sustained global movement” against climate change.
Gore has become one of the world’s most visible activists against global warming.
Critics of the Live Earth event say that flying celebrities to cities around the world, as well as the luxurious lifestyles of many stars, add to global warming.
Some information for this report provided by AP and AFP.