Maná, Al Gore and The Climate Reality Project Get Heated Over Carbon Pollution Issue
Mexican rock band Maná and former Vice President Al Gore get all fiery and heated went it comes to carbon pollution in the earth's atmosphere, which has led to hotter temperatures and longer periods of weather that contribute to increasingly intense drought.
In an effort to cool down and raise awareness, the environmentally-conscious band and Gore, a bestselling author of "An Inconvenient Truth," joined forces with The Climate Reality Project, a non-profit devoted to solving the climate crisis, to discuss the dangers of carbon pollution.
Maná and Gore took part in a special multimedia broadcast called "24 Hours of Reality: The Cost of Carbon." The live-streamed program embarked on its third year of promoting action against carbon pollution and raising awareness about climate change.
The program zeroed in on the ways that the earth is suffering from carbon pollution. Founded by Gore, a Nobel Laureate, The Climate Reality Project focuses on spreading the word about climate change and offers steps people can take to contribute to fixing the problem Voxxi reports.
"The science is settled. Our planet is heating up, and carbon pollution from Dirty Energy is to blame. The fossil fuel industry burns oil, coal and gas, sending heat-trapping emissions into the air. Ninety million tons of carbon pollution enters the atmosphere every day. That means a hotter world for all of us. It also leads to Dirty Weather, from extreme rainstorms to prolonged drought," according to The Climate Reality Project.
"Nine of the ten hottest years on record were in the past twelve years. Just in recent months, extreme rainfall and floods have affected us everywhere from the Mississippi Valley to Beijing. Superstorm Sandy both devastated human lives and led to tens of billions of dollars in damages. The most severe drought in decades spread over half the United States. Climate change is already happening, and it has entered our daily lives."
Not only artists, but global-minded, environmental crusaders, Maná is considered "the most widely sold and heard Latin band in the world," by Billboard magazine. The band, made up of Fher Olvera, Alex Gonzalez, Sergio Vallin and Juan Calleros, got their start in Guadalajara, Mexico in 1986. Throughout their successful career, the band has sold more than 30 million albums.
Maná's dedication to environmental causes is evident through projects such as Selva Negra, which focuses on educating people about the environment and ways to take care of it.
"For Maná it is very important to support Selva Negra that is our environmental foundation. It was founded 18 years ago. First we were working very hard on the protection of sea turtles and in all these years we released more than 2 million sea turtles to the ocean," said Olvera, the band's lead singer.
"Then, we worked on reforestation in many countries, but the most important thing that we want to do is inspire people to take action. We want that the people think globally and act locally in their own communities. Now we have the great opportunity to create one voice, I'm talking about social media, which is a great tool to do that."
An advocate of change, Maná rallies their fan base with inspiration, encouraging them to get involved in local environmental groups. Olvera also points out that another way to help is to reduce our consumption.
"Something that is very important, we have to stop being a high consumer society. We have to go back to the basics, because there we can find happiness," Olvera adds.
In addition to "An Inconvenient Truth," Gore is also the author of the bestsellers: "Earth in the Balance," "The Assault on Reason," "Our Choice: A Plan to Solve the Climate Crisis," and most recently, "The Future: Six Drivers of Global Change."
Gore is the subject of an Oscar-winning documentary and is the co-recipient, with the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, of the 2007 Nobel Peace Prize for "informing the world of the dangers posed by climate change."
Check out Maná's performance for "24 Hours of Reality: The Cost of Carbon," below: