Lots of people avoid talk of the climate crisis because it can feel like the ultimate negative headline in a world that’s not exactly short on depressing news. And the reality is… it is bad news. Pretty much the worst, if we – meaning everyone: you and us, businesses, right up to governments – don’t take decisive action. And so far, we’re failing to do enough.
The good news, though? We know what needs to be done to prevent the warming of the planet getting even worse – the biggest of which is to transition off fossil fuels and onto clean, green renewable energy sources. Not easy, but doable.
And more good news! Though there’s still some way to go, among us – The People – awareness about the climate emergency has never been greater. In fact, much like the changing climate itself, you might feel like it’s everywhere at the moment: from Greta Thunberg releasing The Climate Book to David Attenborough’s hard-hitting Frozen Planet II TV series.
It’s also in the news headlines because, right now, world leaders are meeting in Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt, for the UN’s Climate Change Conference (COP27). Essentially it’s a gathering of top officials where they report back on the climate targets they previously agreed to, and make some more. You might remember the summit was held in Glasgow in 2021. Even still, it can all feel rather distant – like a bunch of policy makers are meeting up to work on some big looming issue.
But climate change isn’t a future problem. It's here now. Climate change meant the UK smashed dozens of records this past summer, not least when temperatures peaked above 40ºC. Europe suffered its worst drought in 500 years. Recently a third of Pakistan – an area roughly equivalent to all of Great Britain – was flooded. Climate change makes these weather events more extreme and more frequent. Without decisive intervention our future contains a lot more pain.
What’s all this got to do with music? Well, as Music Declares Emergency – the action group who bring artists together on climate – put it, there’s No Music On A Dead Planet. It’s not just the future of polar bears at stake, it’s everything – including the culture that we love.
Here are just a handful of the environmental change makers we think you should know about. Give them a follow on social media – it might just give you a little more hope that we can do this.