FEATURE:
Blinded by Silence
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Why Environmental Issues and Climate Change Is Everyone’s Responsibility
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WE are still enjoying the leftovers of Christmas…
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and preparing to soak our livers in the fruitiest, most-lethal and intoxicating drinks we can get our mouths around! It is a rather peculiar time of year: I wonder why we celebrate New Year and whether people actually use it as an opportunity to make real changes and be a different person. People do not change: it is a fact that has been shown through history and in every neighbourhood. Although people cannot change huge character flaws and stubborn D.N.A. – there is the ability, in everyone, to make small changes. When 2018 strikes; it will open up a fresh year and we will all be making ill-advised plans. Each of us has some sort of resolution we want to fulfil but most of it surround ourselves. We might amend our diet or commit to being a bit more active and ambitious. This year has seen some horrible political unfolding and the people are more split than ever. Few can ignore the natural disasters and weather-related events that have struck the planet. From wildfires and floods to earthquakes and record levels of snow – countless lives have been lost and the toll on the planet has been severe. I am not exactly Al Gore when it comes to global warming but have become more aware of the plight of the planet and what we are doing to it. An increasing population and the increase in travel are reasons why pollution levels have risen and are create damage. That is a simplified deduction but is part of the problem.
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In some ways, music is part of the issue: it can also aid awareness and help bring about change. It is not a new phenomenon: the music industry has been causing problems for years now. I am reading an article published in The Guardian back in 2010 that highlighted the carbon footprint left by some of our biggest acts:
“Each year the UK music industry is responsible for around 540,000 tonnes of greenhouse-gas emissions, according to researchers from the UK and US. Three-quarters of this is due to live music performances, while the rest is caused by music recording and publishing.
"This is the first study to map the greenhouse-gas emission profile of the music industry," Catherine Bottrill of the University of Surrey told environmentalresearchweb. "Furthermore, there are few publicly available studies of service industries and we can't think of one directly comparable."
The study was commissioned from the University of Oxford's Environmental Change Institute by Julie's Bicycle, a non-profit organisation launched by UK music industry heavyweights on the eve of Live Earth in 2007.
"In a highly competitive industry such as popular music, this type of co-ordinated approach is unusual, but provides the opportunity to build consensus and develop rapid strategies for a lower-carbon future for this sector," write Bottrill and colleagues Max Boykoff from the University of Colorado Boulder, US, and Diana Liverman of the University of Arizona, US, and Oxford University, UK, in a paper in Environmental Research Letters (ERL). "A number of artists are firmly committed to social and environmental issues, such as Annie Lennox, U2, Sting, K T Tunstall and Peter Gabriel to name a few, but until the efforts of Julie's Bicycle, these artists did not have the co-ordinated support of their industry behind them."
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“According to Bottrill, there was a need for an original piece of research because information about the industry's greenhouse-gas emissions was very limited. "There existed only one major study about the greenhouse-gas emissions produced in CD production and distribution, and also a few artists have done an emissions audit of their tours," she said”.
I highlighted this part of the article because it brings together two elements of the industry: the travel and number of miles covered by big acts and the production realities of C.D. and vinyl. Last year, Rolling Stone published a piece that looked at the plastic pollution we create:
“How much garbage does a typical music festival generate? The 2015 Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival, with roughly 90,000 attendees in Tennessee, produced more than 679 tons of waste over four days. That's 15 pounds of waste per festival-goer — nearly twice the average amount a U.S. consumer uses daily. The biggest component of that waste was single-use disposable plastic: water bottles, beer cups, straws, utensils, wrappers and packaging”.
They might be slightly different worlds but, in a sense, what we are dumping in the oceans/rivers is affecting our planet. It may not rip a huge hole in the ozone but it is killing sea-life and means, before long, there will be more plastic in the sea than fish! The article explained how changes are being made – why organisers and festival heads are being more conscientious and proactive:
“Many other artists, including Maroon 5, Ben Harper, Keb' Mo', Bonnie Raitt, Dawes, Jackson Browne, Athena, Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, Moxie Raia and many others have reduced plastic pollution on tour through both practices on the road and policies in their riders for venues, and some talk directly to concertgoers about the issue.
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Their fans are joining the movement. In 2014, Rolling Stone explored Refill Revolution, Bonnaroo's program in partnership with the Plastic Pollution Coalition (PPC) and Steelys Drinkware that encourages attendees to purchase or bring their own refillable stainless steel cups, bottles and containers. Organizers invested heavily in these efforts with dedicated staff, volunteers and information-tracking. Their 2015 Clean Vibes program recovered an incredible 67 percent of the gathering's total waste output, saving nearly 200 tons of waste from going to the landfill. The first year, 2014, resulted in a reduction of waste by 400,000 bottles or cups; in 2015, that impact nearly doubled. This year they continue to scale up the number of reusable cups and bottles for attendees, while PPC continues to discuss its Plastic-Free Touring initiative with artists and management teams”.
The music industry creates a lot of pollution/problems but is more aware and motivated than a lot of sectors. C.D.s are less-common than before but we still consume a lot of vinyl. The chemicals and materials used to make vinyl – and to ship it to the consumer – means there is a lot of damage done that we do not even realise. If the humble C.D. is being replaced by streaming services; does this mean the digitisation of music is leading to a pollution-free industry?! I am pleased to note festivals are recognising heaps of rubbish and gases being released – mountainous piles of toxins/plastics are not the way to tackle the evident changes to our environment.
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Have these changes come too late?! We all know how much rubbish is accumulated at festivals; the sort of crap discarded by the average festival-goer – and the sort of pollutions produced by factories that produce C.D.s/vinyl. If the move from plastic bottles is an aim to prevent further depletion and destruction; I wonder whether other areas of the industry need to be addressed. We still produce an awful lot of material in the industry. If C.D.s and plastic bottles are being reduced: what about merchandise, music gifts and electronic products?! The factories and processing plants these are manufactured are not the greenest and most economical. Small changes are coming in but that does not mean they are free of pollutants and chemicals. We cannot stop people buying gifts and giving their money to the industry: we can ask questions that force manufacturers to look at the materials they are putting into their products. Reducing the plastics and chemicals we use will make a difference but I am concerned the carbon footprint created by travel is a bigger threat. Even the smallest artists need to travel and get around the country. Air and road transport are the ways to link musicians to fans but, when you see the big artists, the number of miles they cover is eye-watering. From continent-spanning flights to the long hours on the road – what is the price of that embarkation and distance?!
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Air travel is an industry that struggles to keep pollution down and it is a lot more complicated than adding catalytic converters or going electronic. Cars are not even at a realistic stage where they can switch from gas to electric; factories are not doing enough to reduce their damage – what kind of impact are flights and road travel doing to the environment?! Again; it is hard to limit and ration musicians who are in-demand around the world. They cannot stop going on the road but, like festivals aware of the plastic pollution and littering population – should we take measures to limit the damage being done?! Gigs can be streamed and I worry whether the closure of local music venues is forcing artists to travel further to get attention. We always need to look at the survival of our smaller venues but, with the advent, rise and dominance of the Internet; can we streamline and focalise gigs? It does not have the same effect and sound as an arena/stadium gig but it would solve another issue affecting musicians: the fatigue and depression caused by endless touring and work. Their physical and mental wellbeing is important and needs to be preserved; the environment needs protecting and safeguarding against repeated assaults – surely these are vital and blunt enough to stop many in their tracks?!
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I wonder how many of us watched the David Attenborough-narrated Blue Planet II and marvelled at the colours, sights and underwater spectacles! Even during the series; we were told about coral being blanched and the depletion of the natural world. The waters are warming and that is killing off sea-life at a disturbing rate. This year has seen one of the coldest winters in the East of the U.S. and means trillions of dollars will need to be found to reverse the damage. The bigger artists become, the more people want to see them; more physical units are produced – although streaming has alleviated some of the burden – and the consequences are severe. Although the music industry is responsible for causing pollution and adding to the burden placed on the environment; there are way it can rally, support and change. I wonder whether we need to start thinking about the way climate change is affecting people. Back in the 19870s; Sir Bob Geldof realises the famines in Africa were too much to handle – something needed to be done to help them and make the world more aware. Rising temperatures are exacerbating a plight that is worsening; developed nations are experiencing more natural disasters and climate-related catastrophe; the seas are being poisoned and the air is getting dirtier. I have argued how we could get a charity/body organised where concerts/events are run to raise awareness/funds to combat problems in the world. Depression and anxiety is claiming lives whilst online bullying and the downsides of social media impact musicians. Pollution, climate change and natural desecration is not solely because of musicians/fans and their part: everyone on the planet has to take some slice of the blame.
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There might be a huge irony getting artists together at a huge concert; get them from all around the world and produce a lights-and-warts spectacle that compels the world. Maybe that was what we saw with Live Aid but a greener, more practical alternative could come about. Instead of all artists coming to one location, they could all perform in their home locations and there could be a day-long series of events. Maybe a plastic-free, environmental-friendly concert could be held (that would limit damage normally done) and all proceeds go to charities concerned with climate change and protecting the planet. A concert will not cure the issues we face – same can be said concerning depression – but is an important step that would make people see the music industry accepts its role and is taking steps to remedy the problem. We cannot get a clear reading of how much pollution is being caused by the music business. Manufacturing pollution is less severe than before – due to streaming and digital music – but travel, littering and other factors have not gone away. Music is a fantastic industry and one that can help motivate and inspire the rest of the world. Putting on a concert/event that highlights the damage we are doing to the planet – if the likes of Al Gore have not already done that! – is a good start but, going forward, greater awareness from everyone is paramount. They need only be small steps but thinking about our carbon footprint, and the amount of plastic we use/discard, is a possibility. Musicians need to think about their role and be conscious of the pollution created by long-distance travel and their concerts. If we all make a concerted effort to (help) tackle climate change; it will mean we can do something about a growing and potent problem…
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THAT affects us all.