Massive Attack publish Tyndall Centre for Climate Change Live Music Roadmap
17 Sep 2021
The open resource for the music industry, the Roadmap to Super Low Carbon Live Music, was commissioned by the band and produced by the Tyndall Centre for Climate Change Research
As an immediate response to this exploration, Massive Attack have designed six major emissions reduction modules for their 2022 tour, to trial implementation and carry out modelling on interactive practicalities, and to then bring all project learning together in a major UK testbed live show to proliferate change.
The band are also excited to be working with industrialist Dale Vince and Ecotricity to design bespoke partnerships with a wide variety of music arenas and venues – to create far greater renewable energy capacity for the UK grid, help train event staff to run and generate sustainable operations, and to introduce vegan food options in front and back of house set ups.
Robert del Naja (3D), Massive Attack said: “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. The major promotors simply must do more - it can’t be left to artists to continually make these public appeals. But our sector is operating in a government void. Nine weeks out of COP26, where is the industrial plan, or any plan at all, for the scale of transformation that’s required for the UK economy and society?
"Fossil fuel companies seem to have no problem at all getting huge subsidies from government, but where is the plan for investment in clean battery technology, clean infrastructure or decarbonized food supply for a live music sector that generates £4.6 billion for the economy every year & employs more than 200k dedicated people? It simply doesn’t exist."
Massive Attack now plan to help contribute rapid answers to a range of questions posed by this report, for both indoor shows and the festival sector.
The band would also want to see these transitions carried out fairly and equitably, in order that smaller independent venues and festivals who have suffered so badly during the COVID-19 pandemic don’t suffer further – and are financially supported in their own adaptations, by both the government and the sector overall.
Professor Carly McLachlan, from the Tyndall Centre for Climate Change Research, said: “We hope that this roadmap can help to catalyse change by outlining the scale of action required and how this maps across the different elements of a tour. To reduce emissions in line with the Paris Agreement on climate change, touring practices need to be reassembled differently as the industry emerges from the significant challenges that the pandemic has created.
"This starts from the very inception of a tour and requires the creativity and innovation of artists, managers, promoters, designers and agents to be unleashed to establish new ways of planning and delivering live music tours.”
Dale Vince OBE said: "We're happy to be working with Massive Attack to facilitate rapid change in the live music world. Every section of society has to make positive changes, and gigs are no exception."
More information:
- A full summary of the Tyndall Centre key recommendations is available.
- Read more on our newsroom pages.