Analysis: the band's climate initiatives can encourage fans and other acts to engage in environmentally benign behaviour
Coldplay are set to play four shows at Dublin's Croke Park in 2024 as part of their Music of the Spheres world tour. Back in 2019, the band decided to put their live concerts on hold until they figured out an environmentally friendly approach to organise their music tours. The attempt to openly acknowledge the impact of music tours on the environment by Coldplay is noteworthy and other music acts can learn much from the band's sustainability initiatives.
According to the band, the environmental impact of their currently tour was down by 47% compared to their 2016-2017 tour. As assessed by Prof. John E. Fernandez from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), environmental emissions from their current tour have been reduced through the use of solar-powered energy panels, kinetic dance floors and power bikes. The revenue generated from the ticket sales of this concert will be used towards planting trees, cleaning the Klang River in Malaysia, removal of oceanic waste and restoration efforts in many other sectors affected by climate change.
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From RTÉ 2fm in 2019, BBC music reporter Mark Savage on the environmental impact of tours
Music concerts attended by thousands of fans impose a massive impact on the environment. Private jets used by celebrities, fossil fuel consumption to power the concerts, emissions from cars and planes used by fans to attend the concert and improper waste disposal at the concert venues are some of the factors that contribute to environmental damage. In this context, a transparent assessment of the environmental impact of the music tours can do much more than merely minimising the carbon footprint of music concerts.
The sustainability initiatives by Coldplay can be seen as an attempt to encourage millions of fans to engage in environmentally benign behaviour. The idea that certain actors can drive eco-friendly behaviour in other members of society through their conduct has been accounted for in research published by Nature journal.
While these people have disproportionately higher emissions, they are well positioned in the society to reduce carbon emissions not only from their roles as consumers, but also through their socioeconomic role in the society. According to the research, such actors function in five roles, namely, consumers, citizens, role models, organisational participants and investors. They possess sufficient financial resources to rapidly lock in carbon emissions and drive eco-friendly conduct in other citizens.
From BBC One Show, how Coldplay created a sustainable tour
In such a context, pop stars like Coldplay do not function just as consumers in society. In fact, they can create much-needed environmental awareness and behavioural change in the society that the climate catastrophe calls for. The band's recent tour comes across as a template to unveil the five roles in which touring acts can influence their audiences and fans across the globe to address climate change
Consumers: environmentally benign choices in music tours have drastically reduced the carbon footprint of Coldplay.
Organisational participant: By opting for fossil-free options such as biofuels and kinetic dancefloors, the band has directed the investment of various corporate giants such as DHL and BMW towards renewable energy.
Investors: as a key decision-maker for investments around large scale concerts, the band has directed a significant sum towards climate finances. For example, funds from ticket sales are directed towards the restoration of areas affected by climate change and supports organisations such as ClientEarth and The Ocean Cleanup.
Citizens: as citizens, members of the band can influence public opinion regarding government policies about climate finances and fossil-fuel regulations.
Role models: by functioning as role models for millions of fans across the globe, sustainability initiatives by the band can inspire their devout fans and followers to monitor their carbon emissions and minimise their environmental impact.
Such conscious efforts by the band can pave a new trend for other acts to take the responsibility for the emissions from their tours. Such initiatives seemingly have the potential to drive a much needed social movement on the issue of climate change and highlight the urgency to act in response to it. The final assessment of Coldplay's music tour is yet to reveal the result of sustainability initiatives of the band, but their effort to act in response to climate crisis is indeed praiseworthy.
The views expressed here are those of the author and do not represent or reflect the views of RTÉ
