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Protecting rainforests with Cool Earth Action - Keeping carbon where it belongs

Michael Jackson is gone but his legacy of environmental concern remains

As the music industry and fans across the world mourn the death of pop icon Michael Jackson, they reflect on the legacy he leaves behind, which is not just one of unprecedented chart success, but also of environmental concern.

A fact often overlooked is that despite the many legendary hits Jackson achieved in the UK, many of which would define his image in the popular imagination, it was Earth Song - a tune lamenting the destruction of the world's endangered rainforests and natural habitats - that earned the star his biggest ever selling single in Britain.

The track spent six weeks at the top of the charts in 1995, securing the coveted Christmas number one spot and selling more than a million copies. Despite not being released in the US, Earth Song went on to reach top five status in almost every other country in Europe.

Shot in multiple locations including the Amazon rainforest, the music video features Jackson walking through a deserted drought-ridden landscape, invoking a post-apocalyptic vision of what the earth could look like if deforestation and climate change are not challenged.

The song raised awareness of ecological issues and made climate change a more pressing concern among some sections of the younger generation, who perhaps saw environmentalism as more credible given Jackson's high profile as a musical and cultural icon.

Earth Song did not come without criticism however, with some pointing out that the expensive video and Jackson's lavish lifestyle had their own environmental cost.

Despite the charges of his detractors, Jackson maintained that his music was a platform for him to promote ecological awareness, telling Ebony magazine in a 1997 interview that he was "very concerned" about the "international global warming phenomenon".

Jackson also spoke about the inspiration for writing the song and his aim to give environmental issues more press coverage and "let people hear the voice of the planet".

"I remember writing Earth Song when I was in Austria in a hotel and I was feeling so much pain and so much suffering of the plight of the planet earth," he said.

"For me, this is earth's song, because I think nature is trying so hard to compensate for man's mismanagement...and with the ecological unbalance going on and a lot of the problems in the environment, I think earth feels the pain and she has wounds."

Along with other popular socially-conscious songs such as We are the World and Man in the Mirror, Earth Song helped to cement Jackson's place as a humanitarian and earned him recognition from a number of environmental organisations.

The singer was honoured with a Genesis Award in 1996 for using the song to help raise awareness of animal issues and he earned an accolade from the African Ambassadors' Spouses Association for his humaniatrian work in 2004.

Spiritual leader and friend Deepak Chopra revealed last week that even in the days leading up to his death, environmental issues were not far from Jackson's mind. Chopra, who knew the singer for 20 years, said he had been working on a new song about climate change.

Writing in the Huffington Post, Chopra said he received a message from the star saying he needed help with lyrics for the new environmental song which had already been recorded as a demo.

With lyrics that highlighted the damage caused to the environment, some see Jackson's music - particularly Earth Song - as a call to arms, an anthem encouraging people to take part in rainforest conservation and fight global warming.

This is perhaps the lasting legacy that the singer will leave behind among those within the environmental community and beyond.

Written by Aaron Akinyemi

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I love this article about Michael. There's only one correction to be made: "Michael Jackson is not gone and his legacy of environmental concern remains"  ;)

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XAi3VTSdTxU [/youtube]
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6nT4R_uH0Lk [/youtube]

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