New York City (June 28, 2007) - Live Earth Founder Kevin Wall joined with former U.S. Vice President Al Gore and Alliance for Climate Protection CEO Cathy Zoi today to announce the Live Earth Call to Action - a series of commitments that Live Earth will be asking people across the globe to make to combat the climate crisis. Wall also announced that there are going to be more than 6,000 satellite Live Earth events taking place in more than 100 nations around the world on July 7th in support of Live Earth.
In addition to providing over 100 simple actions people can take in their daily lives, which will have a tremendous positive impact when carried out on a mass scale, Live Earth will ask people to support a 90% reduction in CO2 emissions by 2050 and a comprehensive international treaty on global warming by 2009.
"If we are going to solve this crisis, we have to commit, and we have to do it now. Live Earth will ask people across the world to commit to changes in their lives and to move other people, communities, companies and governments to reduce our carbon output by 90% by 2050 and ensure there's a new, global treaty on climate change by 2009," Gore said. "Nations all over the world are making progress in tackling the climate crisis. But too many proposals fall short of the strong, decisive action that's needed. Individual nations alone cannot solve this crisis. The nations of the world must join together as one if we are to succeed."
Live Earth will ask people to commit to making changes at home, at work, while getting around, while shopping, in their communities and to urge changes by their governments. Through its "Answer the Call" campaign, people can make their commitments and find solutions against the climate crisis at liveearth.org, LiveEarth.MSN.com, or by sending a free text message of "SOS" to 82004.
At Thursday's announcement in New York City, Gore, Wall and Zoi all signed Live Earth's 7-point pledge on the climate crisis:
- To demand that my country join an international treaty within the next 2 years that cuts global warming pollution by 90% in developed countries and by more than half worldwide in time for the next generation to inherit a healthy earth;
- To take personal action to help solve the climate crisis by reducing my own CO2 pollution as much as I can and offsetting the rest to become "carbon neutral;"
- To fight for a moratorium on the construction of any new generating facility that burns coal without the capacity to safely trap and store the CO2;
- To work for a dramatic increase in the energy efficiency of my home, workplace, school, place of worship, and means of transportation;
- To fight for laws and policies that expand the use of renewable energy sources and reduce dependence on oil and coal;
- To plant new trees and to join with others in preserving and protecting forests; and,
- To buy from businesses and support leaders who share my commitment to solving the climate crisis and building a sustainable, just, and prosperous world for the 21st century.
The names of people making commitments and signing the pledge through their computers or cell phones on July 7th will be shown on the Live Earth web site, on the screens at the concerts, and on the global TV broadcasts.
Wall noted that Live Earth and this pledge will reach a massive global audience through an unprecedented media architecture.
"Live Earth will jump-start an ongoing, global effort that will drive a critical mass of people to stand up and make challenging global warming a priority in their lives. Live Earth will be a launch event that no movement has ever seen before. Our message will reach all 7 continents with 8 official concerts, special broadcast events broadcast worldwide on TV, radio and the Internet. We've produced a collection of films, PSAs, and even an official Live Earth companion book. This massive multimedia platform will be the foundation for a movement that drives us to the tipping point," Wall said. "If enough people come together to fight against the climate crisis, corporations and governments will have no choice but to act as well."
Live Earth is being broadcast on television and radio in more than 100 countries. For example, in the US, Live Earth will be broadcast on the NBC network, the Spanish language Telemundo network, the Sundance Channel, Bravo, MSNBC, and Universal HD. In the UK, Live Earth will be carried by the BBC and in Japan, in an unprecedented step, both NHK and Fuji TV will carry the shows. The shows will be broadcast globally by MSN at LiveEarth.MSN.com. MSN reaches 465 million unique visitors a month in 21 different languages.
"The climate crisis requires a global solution. Live Earth is using an unprecedented media architecture to reach a global audience," Wall said.
In addition, Wall noted that Live Earth has produced more than 60 short films, 30 PSAs featuring stars like Cameron Diaz and Penelope Cruz, and a book - The Live Earth Global Warming Survival Handbook by David de Rothschild that was released just this week - to serve as lasting media that will echo the Live Earth call to action delivered at the concerts on July 7.
Wall said that after the announcement of Live Earth, people and organizations all over the world asked to host their own events to support the cause, and the "Friends of Live Earth" program was created to support these efforts. The events range from small gatherings in homes to public screenings of the Live Earth concerts for thousands of people to multi-day festivals in places ranging from Portland, Oregon to Zurich to Malta, all to be held on July 7th. To date, more than 6,000 Friends of Live Earth events have been organized in 109 countries. Visit liveearth.org to participate in the Friends of Live Earth program.
"These 6,000 events are just the beginning," Gore said. "If just one person from each event holds one of their own, we've doubled our reach. We think many more people will answer the call and help us spread the message of Live Earth even farther on July 7th and for long afterward."
The Alliance for Climate Protection, Al Gore.com, Avaaz, Defenders of Wildlife, ICLEI and the Sierra Club have joined with Live Earth to organize Friends of Live Earth events around the world. Evite is also encouraging its users to hold Live Earth viewing parties.
"Live Earth is just the beginning of a massive global movement. It will be the first great note in a worldwide song demanding change that will be heard on every continent in every time zone. And we will keep singing this song until meaningful actions are taken by our leaders to halt the climate crisis," Zoi said. "Post Live Earth, The Alliance for Climate Protection is undertaking a 3-5 year campaign to educate people from all walks of life that the climate crisis is both critically urgent and something we can solve. We will take the momentum of Live Earth and continue to challenge people to take action in their own lives and demand action from their leaders --- actions that must deliver reductions in global warming pollution that will safeguard the planet and provide for a prosperous 21st century."
Prior to taking the helm at the Alliance, Zoi spent more than two decades in the energy and environmental sector in both the United States and Australia, including stints with environmental organizations, the New South Wales government, and the Clinton-Gore Administration. She was Group Executive Director at the Bayard Group in Sydney, Australia. Bayard is the world leader in smart metering systems with operations in 30 countries and revenues in excess of $1.2 billion.
