Coldplay shelves world tour and goes green
A decision by British band Coldplay to shelve a world tour of their new album Everyday Life because of environmental concerns has been praised by a green energy expert.
The move was applauded by Ron Fox, of Noreus Ltd on the University of Keele Science and Innovation Park, who said: “It is good news to see influential artists wanting to protect the planet.”
He was supported by the head of climate change at the World Wildlife Fund (WWF), Gareth Redmond-King, who was quoted as saying: “We all have a responsibility to lead by example in the face of this climate and nature crisis — inaction is not an option if we are to preserve our planet for future generations.”
Coldplay frontman Chris Martin said the group, who have done seven world trips, would not be touring until they had worked out how their concerts could be more “sustainable.”
He listed the amount of flying required and the use of items such as plastic water bottles as the band’s primary concerns.
They had played 122 concerts around the world on four continents to promote their last album, A Head Full of Dreams.
Chris said he wanted to have a show without any single use plastic and which could also be largely solar powered. International music tours have a big effect on the environment, with both the amount of electricity used to power stadiums and the waste generated by concertgoers.
The UK Music umbrella group, representing the industry, said 3.9 million people attended festivals in Britain in 2016.
These live music events accounted for 405,000 tons of greenhouse emissions worldwide, according to the campaign group Global Citizen, which stages its own zero-waste festivals.
Powerful Thinking, a think-tank focused on the festival industry, estimates the music events generate around 23,500 tons of waste each year in the UK.
This has led to dozens of Britain’s biggest festivals trying to clean up their acts by banning single-use plastic and by using renewable energy.
Glastonbury Festival, staged every June in the UK, has already started by partnering with Greenpeace, Oxfam and WaterAid to improve its sustainability.
Organisers even brought in portable toilets at this year’s festival which use technology to convert urine into electricity.
Other music stars are following Coldplay’s example. US teenage sensation Billie Eilish said she had banned plastic straws, urged fans to bring their own refillable water bottles and to use recycling bins at her concerts.
She said that on her next world tour in March, every site would feature an “eco-village” where fans could learn more about green issues.
“These are all very encouraging moves,” said Ron, “but it shows how vital they are after a climate and emergency was declared by the European Parliament last week ahead of a United Nations summit in Spain this week.”
For more information about environmental matters and green energy call Ron on 01782 756995 or go to www.noreus.co.uk
