WHEATON-The hype over the July 7-8 concert series called Live Earth and staged in a variety of arenas around the world was successful in capturing the attention of millions of music enthusiasts on the issue of global warming.
The extravaganza staged around the world was facilitated by former U.S. Vice President Al Gore, event producer Kevin Wall and the Alliance for Climate Protection. The idea was billed as a way to mount an army of environmentally friendly advocates in an effort to press government policy makers to pass legislation and authorize agreements aimed at saving the planet from the effects of global warming. The Live Earth concert series, including one staged in Chicago and featuring the reunion of the 1980s rock band, The Police, was deemed a moderate success by media pundits and news commentators.
Concertgoers and at home viewers of the live broadcast were urged to take a pledge that promotes a cleaner environment and conservation of the earth’s resources. For details of the seven-point pledge, visit www.liveearthpledge.org.
The initiatives driven home at the concert coincide with the philosophy put forth in the Catholic Church’s environmental justice program. The United States Catholic Conference of Bishops (USCCB) in 1993 called for a “deeper respect for God’s creation,” a notion applied at the parish and diocesan or archdiocesan level as ecology-related projects and methods designs to encourage environmental awareness.
Evidence of global warming is being tracked around the world, from the Arctic Circle to Antarctica, from Alaska to the Sudan. In Cameroon, Catholic Relief Services has partnered with an environmental development organization to promote ecological management with the country’s tropical forests, and in the Balkan states, sustainable farming methods are advocated as part of CRS’ economic revitalization plan.