BY STEPHANIE ESLAKE
Musicians across the world are uniting in a new campaign to demand climate action. In Australia, familiar names in our classical and jazz industries have joined the cause — emerging from states that battle floods and fires to share the message, there’s no music on a dead planet.
Soprano Deborah Cheetham AO, pianist Andrea Keller, violist James Eccles, and percussionist Claire Edwardes OAM are just a few of the leaders in music who are giving voice to urgent environmental issues. In a statement for this campaign, Andrea said: “This Federal Election we have an opportunity to make climate the number one issue for voters and for our federal politicians across the political spectrum.”
It’s a view shared by Green Music Australia CEO Berish Bilander, who is leading the No Music On A Dead Planet campaign across the country. We chat with Berish to learn how environmental issues are uniquely affecting musicians — and how musicians can achieve a more sustainable practice.
Thanks for the chat, Berish. Let’s start from the ground up. How would you describe the necessity for the Australian music sector to work towards more sustainable practices?
It’s no exaggeration to say climate change affects everything and everyone. No sector is immune. For those of us in the music industry, the effects are broad and significant. For example, the increased occurrence of extreme weather events like floods, fires, and storms, and shifts in weather patterns, places our festivals, tours, and travel at risk of cancellation.
The knock-on effects of these changes to our climate are both personal — less time connecting music with audiences — and practical, as rising tour, event, and insurance costs risk the survival of our industry and activities as musicians.
As the sector has limped out of the COVID crisis, these risks are all the more heightened, as we saw in the cancellation of a number of festivals due to weather events in New South Wales this year.
So many musicians are confronting these types of environmental topics in their music, with compositions and events that are specifically designed to raise awareness for climate issues. But beyond the creation of this important environmentally themed art, what do you see as the role of all music workers in Australia when it comes to leading change?
We all have a role to play in tackling climate change, both by reducing our footprint and by advocating for government action. After all, it’s our politicians that control our country’s economic levers.
At a practical level for those working in an office, you can start to take action from your desk by looking for ways to reduce your energy consumption, like improving the insulation of the building, or logging onto your super and bank accounts and switching to providers who have chosen to divest from climate-damaging activities, or amplifying the message of campaigning organisations — like us! — through your business or personal social media accounts.
It’s also worth recognising that, as a sector, we are uniquely placed to influence large numbers of people who attend concerts and love music.
In most cases, it’s as simple as starting a conversation, and finding ways to communicate these important messages. As we’ll see this [election] weekend, conversations can create change across our democracy.
As the CEO of Green Music Australia, you’re also leading the nation through the No Music on a Dead Planet campaign. What about this global campaign struck you, and why did you want to bring it into Australia’s music industry in particular?
No Music on a Dead Planet was the title we used back in 2019 when we launched the world’s first Music Climate Declaration. It pretty much sums up the urgency of what’s at stake.
In partnership with the amazing global organisation Music Declares Emergency, we’re pushing this message worldwide, and it’s particularly relevant as we head into an election where climate should be a key priority of our candidates and government.
Like Deborah Cheetham AO so eloquently says [in a statement for this campaign]: “The Earth sings. It is a sentient being, alive with song. There is no music on a dead planet. There is no music from a dead planet.”
Your website states “like plants and animals, music is at risk of extinction if we fail to act and meet the current emergency”. Can you talk us through exactly what you believe will happen on failure to act?
The sudden advent of COVID-19 has given us a good insight into how rapidly societies can shift when the will is there. Unlike the pandemic however, we know that a climate disaster is imminent, unless we take action now for our planet.
Everything we love is at risk. The IPCC says we’re on track for over 1.5 degrees celsius of warming within 20 years unless we change course. That means we are going to see more floods, more extreme heat, more bushfires. Fortunately, we have the technology. What we lack is the political will.
We need a new story. A new verse. A new song. Who better to help us reorient our society towards a greener safer future than musicians?
Fortunately, all the things we must do to avert climate catastrophe are also things that benefit our society more broadly – think reduced pollution, more green spaces, sustainable products and manufacturing, and — in our sector — changes to the ways we play, make, and share music.
In the lead-up to Australia’s 2022 Federal Election, a number of the nation’s leading classical musicians have jumped on board this campaign. How do you feel the classical music industry connects with this campaign?
Climate change is the greatest challenge of our times. It threatens all aspects of our livelihoods and culture, including the extraordinary heritage that classical music represents.
The wonderful violinist James Eccles puts it succinctly [in a campaign statement]: “Just because I play music by dead composers doesn’t mean I want the planet to die! We must preserve our environment if we are to preserve our cultures.”
The climate emergency is a political issue, but it doesn’t wait for elections and climate policies. What’s something a classical musician or arts organisation can do right now to make their practice more sustainable?
If you’re a classical musician or arts organisation who would like to start making change right now, I’d recommend:
- Seeking out opportunities to listen and learn from First Peoples, and integrating and Acknowledgement of Country at the start of your shows. We follow the footprints of the Indigenous peoples who have been caring for Country for tens of thousands of years.
- Use a quality reusable water bottle. Join our #BYObottle campaign. Ask for a ban of single use plastic water bottles on your rider, and help the industry turn the tide on plastic pollution.
- Educate fans about public transport and cycling options for your concerts and events.
- Be a role model. Let the media, fans, industry, and government know how you feel about the climate emergency, extinction crisis, and our relationship with Country.
Beethoven said of nature: “No one can love the country as much as I do. For surely woods, trees, and rocks produce the echo that man desires to hear.” We owe it to our kids and to those on the front lines of climate impacts — not least First Peoples and those from the Global South — to use our voices and talents on this urgent issue.
Learn more about the campaign No Music on a Dead Planet.
Green Music Australia will soon release a Green Artist Guide that will feature tips for musicians to reduce their impact and become bold advocates for change. Stay up to date on greenmusic.org.au.
Disclaimer: This interview is of a general nature and does not provide formal financial advice regarding your superannuation investment decisions.
Images supplied.
