Sen. Boxer: Live Earth Concerts Can Spur Bold Policies, Urgent Action on Climate Change

Sen. Boxer: Live Earth Concerts Can Spur Bold Policies, Urgent Action on Climate Change

More Than 10,000 Events Scheduled in Conjunction With Al Gore's Live Earth Concert Series

WASHINGTON, July 6 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Sen. Barbara Boxer, D- Calif., today called for bold action to combat global warming in advance of the Live Earth concerts organized by former Vice President Al Gore designed to address climate change on Saturday. Sen. Boxer, who has held numerous hearings and briefings from the world's leading climate scientists as chair of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, said that just six months ago, few would have predicted that meaningful action on global warming was possible in this Congress.

"Global warming is the challenge of our generation," said Sen. Boxer on a conference call with reporters. "People all over the world understand that action on global warming is needed now, and the American public is far ahead of the government when it comes to this critical issue. After serious engagement on this issue since the beginning of the year, we have begun to build the consensus necessary for action."

Apollo Alliance president Jerome Ringo, who serves on the board of directors of Vice President Gore's Alliance for Climate Protection, the group running the Live Earth concerts, joined Sen. Boxer on the conference call. Ringo said the federal government must lead the charge by making the investments that will create change, like it did with the Internet, the national highway system and the national railroad system.

"We are beyond the point of just protecting the environment, we need to heal it," said Ringo. "That requires nothing less than what it took to put a man on the moon, but this time it can't be just a national commitment, it needs to be a global one. It will require that we share the burdens of change across the shoulders of the world, but the United States needs to lead."

MoveOn.org Political Action executive director Eli Pariser outlined activities that his group plans to hold in conjunction with the Live Earth activities this weekend.

MoveOn.org Political Action, in conjunction with the Campaign for America's Future and other groups, will hold more than 7,000 Live Earth house parties on Saturday, the largest set of house parties the organization has hosted since the 2004 elections. At these parties the Democratic presidential candidates will share their positions on climate change via web cast.

Pariser said that in their video presentations the candidates will show some exciting movement on the issue of cap and auction, a policy that makes companies pay for their emissions. He indicated that the videos will show some of the top presidential candidates "clearly embracing" cap and auction.

On Sunday, MoveOn.org Political Action members will vote on which candidate has the best climate change policies. "For us, it's not just about new light bulbs, it's about new leadership," said Pariser.

Internationally, more than 10,000 events will take place in 129 countries, including eight giant concerts promoted by Vice President Gore and nearly 3,000 house parties organized by Avaaz.org, as part of the global effort to focus attention on the dangers of climate change. The festivities start on Saturday in Sydney, passing on to Tokyo, Shanghai, Hamburg, London, Johannesburg, New York and wrapping up in Rio de Janeiro, with a symbolic rendezvous in Kyoto, Japan and a base in Antarctica.

Vice President Gore announced on Friday that Washington has been added as a new location, four months after some Republicans resisted attempts to hold a concert in the nation's capital. The scaled-down Washington event will be a daytime concert at the National Museum of the American Indian's outdoor plaza, kicking off at 10:30 a.m. ET and featuring country music stars Trisha Yearwood and Garth Brooks.

**NOTE: Media representatives interested in more details about the Washington Live Earth event should visit http://www.americanindian.si.edu/motherearth/. For media credentialing information or further details, please contact Amy Drapeau at 202-633-6614 or drapeaua@si.edu.**

Website: http://www.apolloalliance.org

Source: Apollo Alliance

CONTACT: Toby Chaudhuri, +1-978-884-8626, or Anne Thompson,
+1-202-955-5665, both of Apollo Alliance

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