On April 24 and October 16th, 2021 there will be simultaneous youth-led global climate concerts in over 40 countries, led by members of Fridays For Future youth climate groups who organise the school strikes, with artists, activists and scientists taking to the global stage to fight for climate justice.
7.6 million in 7,500 cities across the world took to the streets to demand climate action in September 2019, yet leaders still fail to act with the necessary urgency. Music has the power to unite people. Climate Live will harness the universal language of music to:
ENGAGE: enlarge the global movement by engaging a new audience through music.
EDUCATE: raise awareness of the challenges faced today by people on the frontlines of ecological breakdown, as well as those forecast by scientists for the future.
EMPOWER: pressure world leaders to take action to combat the climate crisis with a focus on COP26.
Each concert is being planned with sustainability as a top priority, working with events professionals, venues, artists and local authorities to strive to make the events as sustainable as possible. Mirroring the strikes, events will be on both large and small scales.
The race to safeguard the future of this planet has begun, so now we must come together. As Greta Thunberg, 17, from Sweden declares, “To change everything, we need everyone.”
Founder, Frances Fox, 19, from the UK said, “I started Climate Live in Spring 2019, after being inspired by an interview in which Brian May said there should be a Live Aid for the climate crisis. I thought this was a brilliant idea to engage more young people in the movement, with our own spin, so immediately started messaging activists from all over the world!”
Audiences attending Climate Live will come away with a feeling of empowerment and the tools to engage in the climate movement. 2021 is a key year for climate action. We have exactly one year until the UN COP26 conference, when governments will have to renew their Paris Agreement pledges. Climate Live calls for these to be more ambitious to meet the necessary 1.5°C targets.
Their question to world leaders is – “Can you hear us yet?”
Christiana Figueres, former Executive Secretary of the UNFCCC who played a key role in the 2015 Paris Agreement, states, “there is no doubt that young people, informed by science, have brought the climate crisis to the attention of leaders from all sectors. It is now our generation’s responsibility to protect what we love from the damages of climate change by following up on promises with the necessary actions in this decade, to fulfil the goals of the Paris Agreement. I applaud our brilliant young people for stepping up again to hold leaders to account in the lead up to COP26 in 2021, when countries must come together to show we are on track for a resilient future. Our young people have asked whether we can hear them. It is time to demonstrate that we are truly listening.”
Glass Animals’ Joe Seaward urges, “time is running out for the planet as we know it. We must act now if we’re going to save it. The youth activists who are standing up need help and those with a voice have a responsibility to use it”
Climate Live is an opportunity for young people across the world to make their voices heard.
Mitzi Jonelle Tan, 23, from the Philippines (Convener of Youth Advocates For Climate Action Philippines) says, “we have just experienced four typhoons in the span of a month. I had to sit in the dark without electricity, not able to go home because the roads to our house were flooded up to the second floor of houses. This is the climate crisis, this is why we need action. We are the second most vulnerable country to the impacts of the climate crisis in the world. It’s a scary thing and we desperately need more people out on the streets if we want to see change. Climate Live is the perfect way to do that.”
“Climate Live is beyond just music. The climate crisis isn’t just an issue of the far-off future, it is today and we are experiencing the impacts right now. We need to act now.” Kevin Mtai, 24, Kenya, Founder of Kenya Environmental Activists Network.
“Climate Live will give a voice to those most affected by climate change and to the millions of young people concerned about the future of our planet.” Timi Barabas, 17, New Zealand.
“Climate Live is critical at a time when the climate crisis has become less prominent in the public eye.” – Andrea Manning, 22, USA.
“Hope is in the people, in the movement, which is getting bigger and bigger, but we need more people, and Climate Live is the opportunity for this to happen.” Nicole Becker, 19, Argentina, Co-Founder of Jóvenes Por El Clima Argentina.
Climate Live is supported by NGOs including Music Declares Emergency, REVERB, Greenpeace (UK, Brazil and New Zealand), Friends of the Earth (UK and Australia), Oxfam International, 350 International, Extinction Rebellion (UK and Brazil), My Eco Resolution, Stop Ecocide, YOUNGO (youth constituency of the UNFCCC), Client Earth, The Climate Coalition, Earth Rise, Bye Bye Plastic Foundation, Vision 2025, Green Music Australia and Ecolibrium.
Stay tuned for more exciting announcements coming soon including the lineup!
As climate activists we listen to the science and treat every crisis as a crisis, so each country is planning concerts adhering to social distancing guidelines and we have contingency plans.
