A great day to launch a planetary movement around climate change, and a pretty good one to start a blog too. Don't get me wrong, I have long believed that apathy is the number one enemy facing any kind of global force for change, and this is what the Live Earth Concerts are addressing. They are getting people involved, giving them something to do, giving them something to be a part of, and a way to realize that we must bond together to fix this crisis because our governments aren't going to fix it for us.
But, for all the insistence on personal pledges, personal carbon footprint, and so forth, I do hope that we don't lose sight of the real root of this problem: the corporations. Indeed, in countries like the US we definitely need to adjust our behavior in order to lessen the devastating impact our lives have on the health of this planet, but we must push corporations to make the same changes. I look at the list of sponsors of the Live Earth effort, I read their marketing presentation on "cause marketing," and I'm worried.
Maybe this is the way it should be, maybe we've crossed the line, and corporations have realized that yes, they do need to be good public citizens, as it says in every corporate charter. Or, maybe corporations have turned green long enough to make a few bucks, and when "cause marketing" becomes an old hat, they'll drop the ruse.
Have we tamed the wolves or have we given them the keys to the city?
Yes, we need to change our behavior, no arguments there. The number one behavior we need to change is the apathy that runs rampant in the US. Get down to the polls to vote this November. March on Washington. Call your representatives, hang signs from bridges, blockade roads, boycott Exxon, whatever you want, whatever you dream. But for the love of God and this planet, don't let the sun rise on 07-08-07 and let it be just another day.
