Musicians on Climate Change
Climate change is a problem facing everyone on earth, and it continues to march forward. Due to this, certain groups in the music industry are stepping up to do their part to help fight climate issues. These musicians could do a lot by just bringing awareness to their fans, helping to drive a movement to change how we perceive and react to global warming. They could also partner with event locations to sustainably source products that are sold at the event, and even recycle things to keep for the production of new products. Global warming is something that is going to have a direct impact on us all, and will not be going away any time soon. Musicians are playing a critical role in the fight against climate change by using their platform and creativity to raise awareness, advocate for policy changes, and model sustainable practices within the music industry.
Within music production and concert venues, musicians and the venue managers are trying to become more sustainable to help the planet and fight global warming. Even in Arizona at the AK Chin Pavilion in Phoenix, they have stopped the sale of plastic bottles inside the venue. The Pavilion has started to sell liquid death, which is water sealed into aluminum cans that have a higher potential for being recycled. This move by itself shows me that the industry is moving away from a waste system and starting to think about more environmental solutions. It isn’t just venues that are thinking this way in terms of helping the environment, many artists have started to promote organizations that are fighting to help turn climate change around and becoming climate change activists themselves. Artists joining this fight include Billie Eilish, Justin Bieber, and Coldplay. From what can be seen, it is working. According to Music Declares Emergency, “The poll found that 82% of music fans were concerned about climate change, compared to 72% of non-music fans” (“Turn Up the Volume”). This key point of data shows that the music people write has an effect on its listeners. Billie Eilish is fighting climate change by changing everything at the venues she plays at, implementing reusable and sustainable measures. “So there’s no plastic straws allowed, the fans are going to bring their own water bottles, there’s going to be recycle cans everywhere, because it’s like, if something’s recyclable, it doesn’t matter unless there’s a recycle bin” (McDonagh). It isn’t just modern composers and musicians who are fighting climate change, but “composers such as Anthony Philip Heinrich, William Henry Fry, and George Frederick Bristol all created musical evocations of the grandiose, nationalistic nature represented by Niagara Falls (which now provides electricity through mostly carbon-free hydropower, which does not contribute to global warming)” (Allen). Another group that has been seen doing something with their platform is Blackpink. They are a K-pop group from Korea, and in a video titled “A climate change announcement expressing concern for the environment,” they had said “We’re not experts, and we’re not fully aware of all the issues, but we do care about our planet, and we want to learn more” (“Can K-Pop Stars?”). Blackpink is willing to try to find a way to help fight this climate crisis by learning and possibly educating their listeners. The group Coldplay is using their influence to innovate ways to help fight climate change at every venue. “Coldplay concerts will have a dance floor in the center that generates electricity when fans jump or dance on it, powering the venue. The shows will also rely on solar energy, recycled cooking oils from local restaurants and other renewable sources. Additionally, the band has created an app to help fans plan low-carbon travel to their shows, offering a merchandise discount code for those who choose green journeys” (Brown). These few things that artists are doing were highlighted at an MIT talk a few months back. It was said that “This is about the next two or three years, really shifting that curve” toward lowering the world’s greenhouse gas emissions. “It’s not going to be done just with science and engineering,” he added. “It’s got to be done with artists and business and everyone else. It’s not only ‘all of the above’ solutions, it’s ‘all of the above’ people coming together to solve this problem” (David).
Songs for Change
“All the good girls go to hell” by Billie Eilish (2019)
This song refers to natural disasters brought on by climate change. Eilish talks about the fires happening in California. She also starts the music video off by landing in a pool of oil in a desolate field in a city. Through the whole song, the background keeps lighting on fire, which could symbolize the world burning. Later, her wings catch fire from the oil, leading to her to look more like a devil, possibly showing the fact that earth’s oil could lead to it burning.
“Paradise” by Coldplay (2011)
This song by Coldplay was created 11 years ago, and just from listening to it, you wouldn’t attribute the message to climate change. After giving it a listen with the context of climate change in mind, you will begin to understand. It talks about how the world could be a paradise, but things are happening that are causing it to no longer be that paradise, like climate change. The person they refer to in this song pictures the world as a paradise that we could create.
Over time, researching this topic has presented me with more and more understanding about how musicians are trying to act in the world of climate change and sustainability. It’s not just American musicians who are doing this work, they’re all over the world, all trying to stick up for one common goal which is stopping the climate crisis that is present globally. The efforts these musicians are making are a good start in a long process of trying to reverse and stop climate change. Unfortunately, what the musicians are doing is not enough to reach everyone, not as many artists as one would hope are participating in sustainable measures or promoting sustainability within their audiences. The ones who are are doing a good job of what they’re doing, but we need more people to recognize the issues and more artists to join in to try to combat the climate crisis. “Paradise,” released by Coldplay in 2001, is wanting and expecting a better world but not being able to obtain it, this song allows us to both dream of a sustainable future and motivate us to keep us fighting for it” (Connor Wade).
My opinion on this topic is to advocate for change in the way we tackle climate issues and sustainability around the world. Every time I look into this issue, I find new ways that people are tackling climate change. Until now, I had not heard that musicians were a factor in helping to fight the climate crisis. Unfortunately, this conversation is quite important to have with people around the world. The earth is facing something that will not solve itself ever until it is irreversible and will lead to the downfall of humanity on this planet.
Actions that can be taken are to write to your local government trying to promote sustainable measures, recycling, and helping to spread the message that climate change needs to be addressed. Without it, we will lead ourselves into a world that is not a paradise and that will not be sustainable to live in. We need to fight for climate change and a sustainable future for everyone on this earth.
- Allen, Aaron S. “Environmental Changes and Music.” Music in American Life: An Encyclopedia of the Songs, Styles, Stars, and Stories That Shaped Our Culture, edited by Jacqueline Edmondson, vol. 2, Greenwood, 2013, pp. 417–421. Gale eBooks, link.gale.com/apps/doc/CX3162200169/GVRL?u=mcc_chandler&sid=bookmark-GVRL&xid=8d782548. Accessed 3 Apr. 2023.
- Brown, Emily. “Five Artists Trying to Fight Climate Change with Their Music.” RELEVANT, 24 May 2022, https://relevantmagazine.com/culture/music/five-artists-trying-to-fight-climate-change-with-their-music/.
- “Can K-pop stars wield their celebrity to influence climate action?” PRI’s The World, 1 Apr. 2021, p. NA. Gale In Context: Environmental Studies, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A657063616/GRNR?u=mcc_chandler&sid=bookmark-GRNR&xid=fd16eff8. Accessed 3 Apr. 2023.
- Chandler, David L. “Scientists and Musicians Tackle Climate Change Together.” MIT News | Massachusetts Institute of Technology, https://news.mit.edu/2021/scientists-musicians-climate-change-1201.
- McDonagh, Shannon. “Billie Eilish to the 1975: The Music World Tackles the Climate Crisis.” Euronews, 26 May 2021, https://www.euronews.com/green/2021/05/26/from-billie-eilish-to-coldplay-here-s-how-musicians-are-confronting-the-climate-crisis.
- “Turn up the Volume Survey: UK.” Music Declares Emergency, https://www.musicdeclares.net/gb/updates/turn-up-the-volume-survey.
