The Live Earth Concerts 2007 as a case study for New Politics

Essay by cheat666University, Bachelor'sA-, July 2008

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In this study I shall use the 2007 Live Earth concerts as a case study to investigate the way in which Live Earth is an example of 'New Politics' and 'Life politics'. Implicit to the study of Live Earth concerts are the complex relationships between the local and the global, individual and the collective. In this investigation I will also explore the factors of 'eco citizenship', consumption, identity and the use of new media forms in the delivery of the Live Earth concerts. These shall be explored in depth below.

Live Earths use of pop culture takes us beyond conventional forms of politics to questions of identity, globalisation and lifestyle.

In 2007 Live Earth concerts were held in an array of venues around the world with the emphasis on climate change awareness. Live Earth created an industry first which was a set of Green Event Guidelines and Green artist guidelines in which event organizers could follow in order to make their event carbon neutral and socially responsible.

Live Earth was the largest global entertainment event ever held and had an estimated record audience of over 2 billion people. Live Earth was a show case of more than 150 musical artists. What was it that led to the audience want to tune into or attend this event? One of proposal is Inglehart's theory of "post materialism" (1977, 1990). This is the concept that increasing environmental concern is a product of both psychological means within individuals and increasing material and economic wealth in society. Environmental movements are seen as possessing post-material values that directly contest the dominant materialist values of modern society. The post- materialist argument is that having largely fulfilled the basic needs of safety and security, parts of the advanced industrial society are able to pursue the 'higher', more...