Mainstream media trained a cynical eye on the post Live Earth clean-up. Evening news programs broadcast images of hundreds of thousands of discarded plastic drinking cups.
Live Earth had united popular musicians around the world for a series of concerts highlighting climate change. The implication of this post-concert footage was obvious: in an oblivious act of irony, these damn greenies had contributed in most reckless fashion to the very problem they were trying to confront.
Idealists read things differently. Live Earth — an otherwise carbon neutral occasion — was an extreme weather event of the global conscience. Within a few short hours it thundered around the world and rained its message upon millions of people. That message: wake up to the reality of climate change. It made such an almighty noise there could hardly be a snoozer left in the house. A bit of extra waste was no big deal.
I was one of those idealists. Now I'm not so sure.
During the past week the organisers of Live Earth have weighed into the marketplace with a commemorative CD/DVD set, compiling performances from each of the Live Earth concerts. Profits will assist the Alliance for Climate Protection — a worthy cause, given the impending climate crisis.
But consider the quantities of plastics and other non-biodegradable products used to produce the disks and their packaging, and it is fair to wonder whether the costs might outweigh the benefits.
The 2005 Australia Institute report Wasteful Consumption in Australia found that during the preceding year, Australians wasted $412 million on books and CDs that were never used. That amount may seem dwarfish compared with the $1.56 billion spent on unused clothes, but is still a substantial bill in anyone's bankbook.
However apart from the potential for physical waste, the release of a Live Earth CD/DVD is also ironic from a societal perspective.
One of the causes of global warming is Western society's addiction to consumption. From food to fashion, fitness to fun, we live to spend. We produce an intemperate amount of waste because we consume intemperately. In that regard, the release of a CD/DVD to promote an environmental cause is inherently ironic.
I'm not meaning to point fingers — I'm guilty too. I love CDs. Browsing a good music store is my idea of a good time. I'll readily swipe my credit card in order to take home one of those