Massive Attack on Emissions:
A Roadmap for Sustainable Live Music Events In the UK, the popular band Massive Attack commissioned the Tyndall Centre for Climate Change Research to produce a Roadmap to Super Low Carbon Live Music. The findings and recommendations are open to all the music and events industry, to promote effective methods which can sustain a low carbon future to help prevent escalating climate impacts. The inspiring planner is showing how industries can take the lead rather than rely alone on government intervention for carbon free initiatives. By Richard Forsyth
T
he Bristol based band, Massive Attack are a worldwide success story in music. Since their debut album, Blue Lines was launched in 1991, with iconic tracks such as Unfinished Sympathy voted in polls as one of the greatest songs of all time, they have enjoyed a sustained role as a high-profile, respected group in the music scene. The band, made up of Robert ‘3D’ Del Naja, Adrian ‘Tricky’ Thaws, Andrew ‘Mushroom’ Vowles and Grant ‘Daddy G’ Marshall, also have a conscience, and have been unafraid to challenge political agendas. Robert Del Naja specifically has been vocal in politics, for example, he once helped to fund a full-page advert against the war in Iraq in the NME magazine. The group has now leveraged their influence in another way, working with scientists and engineers at the Tyndall Centre, a
partnership of universities with a shared aim to develop sustainable responses to climate change. Professor Carly McLachlan, Director of Tyndall Centre, explained how the unusual pairing developed: “They asked around their networks for recommendations of who to approach and a few people suggested us. We haven’t done work on music before but we are approached by various sectors and organisations to help them think more about how they could transform to significantly reduce carbon emissions.” Massive Attack commissioned the Tyndall Centre in 2019, just before the pandemic spread and disrupted the world. The pandemic, arguably, presented a period of reflection for the industry as it halted live music activities in a collective pause. The band requested a roadmap, specifically to be delivered from the University of Manchester, a
“We’re grateful to Tyndall Centre analysts for providing our industry with a comprehensive, independent, scientifically produced formula to facilitate industry compatibility with the Paris/1.5 degrees climate targets – but what matters now is implementation.”
Massive Attack live at Piazza del Sordello in Mantova on July 15th, 2018, Dennis Radaelli. This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 International license.
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