Massive Attack report lowest ever carbon emission show: “There’s a huge question now for tour planning”

nme.com:

Massive Attack have shared a report from their low-carbon shows, with the stop in Bristol becoming their lowest-ever carbon emissions gig.Their ‘Act 1.5’ show at Clifton Downs in Bristol took place in August last year and was designed as an all-day, “large-scale climate action accelerator event” to celebrate a quarter of a century of climate activism for the band.It came as the trip-hop group’s first UK performance in five years, and also saw performances from Killer Mike, Lankum, Sam Morton and the Wild Bunch’s DJ Milo.

Through various efforts and incentives, The show was designed to be the lowest-carbon concert of its kind, and the band hoped it would provide a model for the rest of the music industry to adopt going forward.Over 32,000 went to the one-day festival, and efforts included 100 per cent plant-based catering, entirely battery powered, five times more show trains one hour after the national network had closed, and numerous electric shuttle buses to get fans home.Now, scientists from the Tyndall Centre for Climate Change Research have shared the statistics from the event and reported unprecedented greenhouse gas emissions reductions.In the figures, it is shown that the Bristol show saw a 98 per cent decrease in emissions from power, an 89 per cent decline in emissions from food and catering and a 70 per cent drop in emissions from equipment haulage.Emissions from artist travel dropped by 73 per cent, and efforts were also made by the audience – with emissions from audience travel declining by 32 per cent.It is worth noting that Massive Attack do not use “offset” as part of their emissions strategy.