Massive Attack’s musician spoke to the MP committee yesterday about: “how festivals can reduce their carbon emissions and effectively tackle climate change”. Robert Del Naja, also known as 3D pointed out issues around live shows and festivals: “It’s been frustrating to experience the lack of meaningful activity within our sector, and as an activist, I’ve also felt pretty livid about it“, he told the House of Commons Digital, Culture, Media and Sport members adding: “The industry seems to have been locked in a cycle of green pledges and carbon calculations while emission rates remain really high”. Naja told the committee how embarrassing it is for artists to wear: “the climate T-shirt, waves the placard, while simultaneously operating in a high carbon, high-polluting sector”, adding: “It’s all about collective solutions, everyone has to work together.”
On Tuesday we’ll be talking to Robert Del Naja from @MassiveAttackUK and @carlymclachlan from @TyndallCentre about how festivals can reduce their carbon emissions and effectively tackle climate change.
Watch from 10am: https://t.co/97BV14OrnM@julianknight15 pic.twitter.com/JY8U6wBvCY
— Digital, Culture, Media and Sport Committee (@CommonsDCMS) March 12, 2021
The artist also shared how little or none control, performers have over organisation of festivals or gigs. He mentioned Coldplay’s decision to put touring on hold due to environmental concerns, as not a step that will bring a much needed solution: “I understand their frustration, all bands have been feeling like this for a long time – how do you square touring with climate change?” The musician said: “One band’s unilateral action is not going to change the look of the whole problem at all” adding ”everyone knows that’s not the solution – one band stopping touring. Even all bands stopping touring isn’t the solution. Culture is important”.
> ignore the click bait headlines. All love for Chris & @coldplay -as we said today we totally share his frustration. Let’s all work together to de-carbonise the art form we love. #ClimateAction https://t.co/4SFUtm6bpZ — Massive Attack (@MassiveAttackUK) March 16, 2021
In November 2019 Coldplay frontman Chris Martin shared the band’s decision about putting live shows on hold: “We’re not touring this album“, he told BBC News. “We’re taking time over the next year or two, to work out how our tour can not only be sustainable [but] how can it be actively beneficial”. “All of us have to work out the best way of doing our job”, he continued, and “have a positive impact”.
Speaking about the solutions Robert has added: “There are lots of different solutions across transportation – you can charter trains and buses and even gets tents and luggage down to a festival in the right way, and bands can take a train themselves”. “There are lots of different solutions for energy and powering a festival”. Massive Attack will collaborate with Tyndall Centre for Climate Change Research when gigs and touring will start after COVID-19 restrictions stop.
The band have been supporting all sorts of environmental actions over the years, like joining Music Declares Emergency back in 2019. On top of that, Massive Attack announced last year that they will complete their European tour by train.
The two hour long chat with MP’s has been recorded and can be re-watched on the Parliamentlive page.
In @CommonsDCMS I spoke to @MassiveAttackUK‘s Robert Del Naja about what bands and festivals can do to reduce their carbon emissions. Robert tells me Massive Attack reduced their carbon footprint by 45-50% simply by touring the US by train. #FutureOfFestivalsInquiry pic.twitter.com/TD6vsCLqqv
— Kevin Brennan MP (@KevinBrennanMP) March 16, 2021
