Published: Wednesday, 2nd December, 2009 8:00am

A Sting in the environmental tail

by Alan Bunce

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In a world where you are only allowed only one opinion on environmental issues, campaigning celebrities make an interesting contribution.

Sting, we have been told for years, campaigns for long forgotten tribes. But as Newsnight revealed, his opposition for a dam being built in Brazil so he can campaign for the protection of rainforests, will deny the world of a source of renewable energy.

As Jeremy Paxman pressed him, he had few answers. He had even less when Paxman compared Sting's jetsetting lifestyle to his apparent environmental concerns.

Sting's view of that question? "An amusing red herring for the media", he said. He went on to bring in the words 'global corporations' too.

Media AND big business. He's bound to get support for opposing them surely.

Newsnight also pointed out he had just released a new album. So his big business might just do ok.

Sir Bob Geldof charges quite a thousand pounds for speaking to business audiences. When does his concern for the starving end and his concern for his earnings take over? Fathers rights groups thought they had got his support a few years ago but, despite sympathetic sounds, they failed to engage him. Must be nice to pick and choose where your heart takes you.

Recently we had the Queen joining in environmental rows. I wouldn't mind betting there are a few unnecessary lightbulbs on in some of the many royal households from time to time.

Yet all this is against a backdrop of leaked emails which gave the game away that the hysterical claims of what will happen if we continue to drive to work, are based on information as dodgy as that which led to the Iraq war.

If I want environmental lectures I will accept them from the likes of Reading Rising Tide, whose members seem to practise what they preach. Small groups of people who gain nothing from their efforts, deserve respect.

But I don't want the industry, so famed for wrecking hotels and smashing guitars, and for its massive power guzzling concerts, to tell me to start conserving the earth's resources.