As the world tunes in
to watch this weekend's Live Earth concerts
taking place across the globe, take a moment
to learn about what the UN is doing to halt
climate change, an issue which the Secretary-General
recently called the "defining issue
of our era".
The UN's Intergovernmental Panel on Climate
Change (IPCC) has marshaled the world's
attention and spurred international cooperation
on this issue. The Panel's four assessment
reports have aimed to use scientific, technical
and socio-economic information in order
to understand the scientific basis of risk
of human-induced climate change, its potential
impacts and options for adaptation and mitigation.
Earlier this year, the Secretary-General
appointed three climate change envoys who
have pledged to use their experience from
previous posts and their contacts with national
leaders and other senior figures to galvanize
more concerted environmental action.
More details about how the broader UN system
is working on this issue are available on
the Issues on the UN Agenda web page devoted
to climate change.
About the Live Earth Concerts
Live Earth is a 24-hour, seven-continent
concert series taking place on 7 July that
will bring together more than 100 music
artists and two billion people to trigger
a global movement to solve the climate crisis.
Live Earth organizers, including former
U.S. Vice President Al Gore in his capacity
as Chair of the Alliance and Partner of
Live Earth, hope to reach this worldwide
audience through an unprecedented global
media architecture covering all media platforms
- TV, radio, Internet and wireless channels.
Live Earth marks the beginning of a multi-year
campaign led by the Alliance for Climate
Protection, The Climate Group and other
international organizations to drive individuals,
corporations and governments to take action
to solve global warming.
Live Earth will stage official concerts
at Giants Stadium in New York; Wembley Stadium
in London; Aussie Stadium in Sydney; Copacabana
Beach in Rio de Janeiro; Maropeng at the
Cradle of Humankind in Johannesburg; Makuhari
Messe in Tokyo; the Steps of the Oriental
Pearl Tower in Shanghai; and HSH Nordbank
Arena in Hamburg. Images from UNEP's Atlas
of Our Changing Environment will also be
projected on stage.
With support from the U.S. Green Building
Council, creators of the LEED Green Building
Rating System, Live Earth will implement
new Green Event Guidelines. All Live Earth
venues will be designed and constructed
by a team of sustainability engineers who
will address the environmental and energy
management challenges of each concert site,
as well as the operations of sponsors, partners
and other Live Earth affiliates. Each venue
will not only be designed to maintain a
minimum environmental impact, but will showcase
the latest state-of-the-art energy efficiency,
on-site power generation, and sustainable
facilities management practices.
