Live Earth
Live Earth marked the beginning of a multi-year campaign led by the Alliance for Climate Protection, The Climate Group and other international organisations to drive individuals, corporations and governments to take action to solve global warming.
We all know that something has to change and we know it is going to require a mass effort, but does the message have to come from Madonna?! And are huge events the best way to take the climate change message global?
While nobody doubts the intentions of the organisers, the very process of putting on such a vast event, watched by millions, with more than 150 performers jetting around the world to appear in concerts from Tokyo to Hamburg, not to mention the estimated 1, 000 tonnes of rubbish produced, has been described as ‘an exercise in hypocrisy on a grand scale.’
On 7/7/07 Live Earth concerts were staged in New York, London, Johannesburg, Rio de Janeiro, Shanghai, Tokyo, Sydney and Hamburg. While critics called it a ratings failure (in the UK, 11.4 million watched Princess Diana’s tribute and just 3.1 million watched Live Earth) worldwide it was still watched by an estimated 2 billion (including at least 10 million unique viewers online). The most important question to ask is: who out of these 2 billion will take action as a result of watching the concerts, and will these measures be enough?
The Alliance for Climate Change proposes a number of basic changes, from home to work environments. There are useful suggestions, particularly for reaching the mainstream consumer, and business markets, but most are fairly basic, such as recycle, change your lightbulbs and plant a tree. Perhaps one of the most dubious recommendations is downloading a ring tone where “every time your phone rings you can tell people around you the important message about the urgency and solvability of the climate crisis”. The Alliance site also 
promotes ‘green credit cards’ that offer rewards for environmentally friendly purchases. The general theme seems to be “not giving up quality of life”, and assumes that those affluent enough to do so, can continue to consume at the same rate as long as that consumption becomes a bit more environmentally friendly. The Alliance has made fighting climate change more palatable by promising consumers minimum disruption to their lives.
The incorporation of business may be a positive step, but the sponsorship of the NBC Live Earth by General Motors, one of the worlds biggest automobile manufacturers, does raise some ethical questions around including a ‘problem maker’ as a ‘problem solver’.
One of the key issues is that despite all the talk, climate change doesn’t feel real for many of us. Oxfam reports that much of their development work in the Pacific is becoming more difficult with “rising sea levels, fresh water becoming less available and severe weather events such as cyclones.” Through the eyes of those affected, there needs to be urgent and effective change that goes beyond token measures. Dr John
Barrett at the Stockholm Environmental Institute states, "Taking a flight and planting a tree does not add up. It is having your cake and eating it… It is far better not to pollute in the first place. Carbon offsetting can be a removal of guilt, but it is not an effective one."
‘Alive Earth’ is a grassroots alternative to Live Earth that has based its campaign upon the need to fully involve and engage audiences. It also discusses some harsher realities; with industry having no magic technical fixes assuring that targets can be met, and inequalities in current resource consumption between the ‘haves’ and ‘have nots’.
While we ponder the question, are events like Live Earth an effective way to mobilise meaningful action, there are, potentially, 2 billion people taking the bus to work, changing to low energy light bulbs and reducing their impact on the planet.
Check out these websites, as well as various critiques below:
The Alliance for Climate Protection
Climate Outreach & Information Network
Live Earth is promoting green to save the planet - what planet are they on?
Live Earth Declared Brilliant Success -- or Pitiful Failure -- Depending on Who You Ask
MSN's "Live Earth " Grows Bumper Stats
Other source: Wareham, M. ‘Global Call to Action’ The Dominion Post Friday July 6th 2007, pB5.
Fighting for fair wages one fast food giant at a time
The Coalition of Immokalee Workers (CIW) is a community-based workers organisation. Members are largely Latino, Haitian, and Mayan Indian immigrants working as labourers for large agricultural corporations in the tomato industry throughout Florida. They are fighting against what some call modern slavery and are demanding, among other things, fair wages, more respect, better and cheaper housing, stronger laws and the right to be part of a union.
From their humble beginnings as a small group of workers who met weekly at the local church, they have grown into a nationally recognised, award winning organisation fighting against slavery, human rights abuses and exploitation. They have taken on some industry giants and come out on top. Read CIWs story here.
Their Fair Food campaigns against Taco Bell, McDonalds and more recently Burger King have had wide community support, from national religious, labour, and student organisations to thousands of individuals. They had their first success when, after a four year boycott of Taco Bell, the company company agreed to increase the pay of migrant tomato pickers working for the restaurants' suppliers.
Then, in April this year Taco Bell’s parent company, Yum! Brands Inc, announced that this pay agreement would be extended to ALL its fast food chains, which include Pizza Hutt and KFC.
After two years of refusing to talk to CIW about labour conditions of their suppliers, just the threat of a boycott like the one against Taco Bell, saw McDonalds agree to all CIW’s demands. Not only this but, under the banner of Corporate Social Responsiblity, they also committed to ongoing collaboration with them in developing an industry-wide independent mechanism for monitoring labour conditions in industry.
It was after years of UNsuccessful campaigning against the local suppliers that CIW realised that in order to bring about change they needed to focus their attention on those at the top of the fast food ladder- the fast food chains! Those with the most to lose. “Global brands, whether it’s McDonald’s or Adidas, view labour rights issues not as a moral question but as a risk management question,” says Scott Nova, executive director of the Worker Rights Consortium. “They will make change to the extent that risk to their brand reputation justifies making change.”
In some ways CIW are testing just how much a companies desire to protect their brand can be exploited to benefit the workers. However with McDonalds, CIW is also committing to ongoing collaboration.
Is engaging with corporations, and working within the Corperate Social Responsibilty Framework, the best way to advance social change? In these times (online news website) quoted economist, Dean Baker, who says that while activists always risk co-optation, they can use corporate campaigns to mitigate business’ worst behaviors. “It’s not the only tool by any means,” he says, “but when you look at what tools are available, you get ‘em where you can get ‘em.”
CIW next target is Burger King, who don’t appear ready to join the growing movement for Fair Food, or just don’t feel CIW pose much of a risk to their brand's reputation.
Down with the King, Long Live the Clown!??
Sources: Coalition of Immokalee Workers
Doing It For Themselves, In These Times
