The Live Earth extravaganza is occuring across the globe today, organized with the goal of raising awareness about the Global Warming Crisis. With all due respect to well-intentioned participants, anyone who is still unaware of that issue will not likely respond to the program's message.
Furthermore, man's role in global warming is directly tied to his consumerism and there are no better examples of that vice than the entertainment industry stars, with their multiple mansions and private jets. As they say, talk is cheap. Al Gore, who has garnered a new (and no doubt lucrative) career from this issue, would get more respect from true environmentalists if he downsized his home, traveled the country in a hybrid vehicle and gave up the star-studded galas.
My cynicism notwithstanding, I concur with the importance of this issue, especially as it relates to our impact on Earth's ecosystems. But young people are more likely to be attentive to such matters if they are raised by parents who place importance on conservation, recycling and low-impact lifestyles. And they will only change the political climate by taking part in the democratic process, i.e. voting, a power that most of them tend to ignore. Once the music stops, only those with a strong environmental conscience will heed the message.
