Registration to buy tickets for the UK leg of Live Earth began earlier today (13 April) at midday and will stay open for 72 hours. Fans wanting to purchase tickets for the mammoth charity show will need to enter their details at www.livenation.co.uk/liveearth before midday on Monday 16 April to be entered into a ballot. Instead of providing a passport photo, as Glastonbury applicants were required to do earlier this month, would-be concert goers will need to give a mobile phone number to enable successful applicants to be notified by text message. Tickets cost £55 each, and a maximum of two can be bought per person.

The charity gig will be held at the new Wembley Stadium on 7 July, and confirmed performers so far are Madonna, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Corinne Bailey Rae, Bloc Party, Beastie Boys, Foo Fighters, Duran Duran, Damien Rice, Razorlight, Snow Patrol, Black Eyed Peas, Keane, John Legend, Paolo Nutini and James Blunt. The show is to be held to raise awareness of the problem of climate change.

The Wembley gig forms part of a 24-hour music event with different concerts held around the world. New Jersey, Shanghai, Sydney, Johannesburg all host events, as well as unconfirmed venues in Brazil and Japan. Performers at the US Live Earth show will include The Police, Smashing Pumpkins, Fall Out Boy, Roger Waters, Sheryl Crow and Bon Jovi.

The Independent has estimated the cost of carbon-offsetting at the event at between £1.1m and £1.6m, but each performer is to be briefed on how they can change their personal carbon footprints by John Picard, a sustainability expert and former member of President Clinton's White House environmental task force.

Ben Patashnik