Jay-Z and GM: FU, UN

Who could fail to be touched by the little tour of Africa Jay-Z took round Africa - MTV camera crew in tow - to promote the lack of potable water and the threat to life in parts of the Continent:

Last night [16th November 2006] at the United Nations, American rap star Jay-Z premiered his new video diary, ‘Water For Life’, which captures his journey into areas affected by the ongoing global water crisis.

In a partnership with MTV and the UN, Jay-Z toured several developing countries, meeting with young people who do not have access to safe water. He travelled with some of these children along the same roads they take every day to fetch water for their families and schools.

“It is unbelievable that someone so young could be doing that every single day,” he said.

It is, indeed, terrible.

The problems of infrastructure are being exacerbated, of course, by the impact of rising global temperature. So it's somewhat odd to find Jay-Z has managed to wipe away his tears so quickly that, two months after lecturing the UN about the global water crisis, he's popped up "to bring a stylish hue to a rugged sport-utility vehicle" on behalf of General Motors.

Yes, the best way to ensure everyone has access to clean water is, erm, by driving cars which have a greater-than-average carbon footprint.

Of course, Jay-Z isn't the only celeb to be on board. Christian Slater also turned up to help promote the ambulance-sized vehicle, a strange stance for one of the spokespeople for Explore Your Environment. It'll be tricky finding a place to park your big gas-guzzling resource hog when you nip down to your organic supermarket, Christian.

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