Coldplay announced that it surpassed its own target for reducing carbon emissions at live shows.
In 2019, frontman Chris Martin announced that the band would take a break from touring while they thought of ways to make their performances more environmentally friendly.
Two years later, Coldplay announced the “Music of the Spheres” tour and with it, the promise to reduce by half the emissions generated by the production of shows, transport of equipment and band and team travel.
The achievement is due in part to audience participation, who generate energy by jumping on kinetic dance floors and pedaling specially modified bicycles. The band also promised to plant a tree for every ticket sold for their shows.
The various innovative measures during the tour, which encouraged audiences to participate in the eco-friendly initiative, led to a 59% reduction compared to the previous stadium tour held in 2016 and 2017, Coldplay said. The band also stated that the numbers were verified by the MIT Environmental Solutions Initiative.
Quoted in a statement on Coldplay's website, John E. Fernandez, director of the MIT initiative, congratulated the band on their “dedication to positive and meaningful action,” adding that they are “setting a new standard for the entire music industry.”
Coldplay thanked “all the brilliant people who made this possible”.
“Most of all, we would like to thank everyone who came to a show and helped charge the show batteries on the exercise bikes and kinetic dance floors; everyone who arrived on foot, by bicycle, hitchhiking or public transport; everyone who came with reusable water bottles or returned their LED bracelet for recycling; and everyone who bought a ticket, which means you've planted one of the 7 million trees so far,” the band added.
The world stadium tour kicked off in Costa Rica in March 2022 and will continue until the end of this year, playing to fans in locations including Finland, Greece, Australia and New Zealand.
In a more detailed analysis of the measures taken, the band said that 7 million trees were planted, 18 shows in 2023 were powered entirely by a system that uses recycled BMW i3 batteries and that 72% of all waste from the tour was diverted from landfills.
However, Coldplay admitted that there is still a lot to be done.
“As a band and as an industry, we are far from where we need to be. But we are grateful for everyone’s help so far and we salute everyone who is trying hard to push things in the right direction.”
In an interview with Becky Anderson of CNN in 2022, Martin said: “It’s not a purely charitable exercise. We’re trying to prove that capitalism can be a little more compassionate and ecologically aware.”
Eco-tours have been around for decades, with musicians like Neil Young and Bonnie Raitt among the pioneers. But as the effects of climate change continue to intensify, the music industry is now bringing this approach into the mainstream. Among those who have taken steps to make their performances more environmentally friendly are Billie Eilish and Maroon 5.
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Source: CNN Brasil
I’m Robert Neff, a professional writer and editor. I specialize in the entertainment section, providing up-to-date coverage on the latest developments in film, television and music. My work has been featured on World Stock Market and other prominent publications.
