MSN Has Live Earth Sorted and Cataloged for Viewing

Scientists Rock: My Favorite Bits from Live Earth!

American film producer Lawrence Bender gave the opening remarks. Bender produced former United States Vice President Al Gore's 2007 Academy Award winning documentary Inconvenient Truth, as well as the popular films Good Will Hunting and Kill Bill, among many others. I've transcribed his remarks below because--even though they contain references to the Catholic Church, which is not specific to everyone--I think Bender's remarks are worth spreading around.

"Humanity's finest hours always come whenever we awaken as if from a long sleep, collectively recognize a great wrong and commit ourselves to its remedy.
The fight to abolish slavery;
the long determined stand against totalitarianism;
the on-going struggle to stop hatred, violence and war:
In all these instances great change happened when men and women of good will came together and recognized that these issues are not nuances of political questions calling for discussion and deliberation but rather a clear-cut moral...demanding moral action and resolve.

"And in each of these great causes the Church along with men and women of faith worldwide have led the way reminding us through their example that on issues of right and wrong there can be no excuse for apathy or inaction. Today we face another such moment of awakening around the issue of climate change, and once again the Church and faith community are here to remind us of another great truth: the Earth...that the Earth is the Lord's and the fullness thereof.

"If left unchecked, climate change will defile God's will. It will wipe out entire species of plant and animal life; it will render regions unlivable; it will cause crushing poverty, disease and misery for the poorest nations and the mos...most vulnerable people. In the Book of Mathew we are reminded that "whatever he does to these least of my brothers, he does unto me."

"That is what Live Earth is all about. It is about giving voice to the voiceless, and power to the powerless. It is about recognizing our shared destiny on a shared planet. And that is why the leadership of the Vatican is so welcome in this cause. By working to raise awareness and reducing the carbon footprint of the Vatican itself, the Church is affirming its best traditions of moral leadership in moments of crisis. It is an example that deserves recognition and emmulation. Because in the end the solution to the climate crisis lies in the hearts of human beings across the world taking up their moral duty and changing their behavior accordingly.