The 1975 to stage world’s first “carbon-removed” event at The O2 in London

nme.com:

The 1975 are to stage the world’s first “carbon removed” live event at The O2 in London.The incentive was announced earlier this week, when organisers at the venue confirmed that they would be hosting the world’s first carbon-removed arena events at the beginning of 2024, and The 1975’s live shows will be the first gigs to be held under the new format.In a run of pilot events in February, the organisers will use a variety of methods to physically extract the carbon generated by the events and remove it from the atmosphere. “Using this data, the cost of removing the carbon associated with the events can be folded into the existing business model.If successful, the pilot events will help pave the way for a new practice model for venues, promoters and tours worldwide, and help encourage the reduction of carbon emissions in the live entertainment industry going forward.“We’re incredibly proud to be hosting the world’s first carbon-removed events here at The O2.,” said Sam Booth, the Director of Sustainability at AEG Europe.“The perfect large-scale carbon-free event does not currently exist, but while the industry continues to innovate and improve to reduce emissions to their lowest possible level, carbon removals will remain an important piece of the puzzle.”Mark Stevenson, the Co-Founder and Chief Impact Officer at CUR8 agreed, added: “What’s great about these shows is that we can demonstrate that it is now possible to fold the cost of removing the residual CO2 into the existing business model, such that fans won’t notice any difference in the gig experience.“It’s a complete win-win-win – for artists and their fans who care about the climate crisis.”The 1975 shows featured in the pilot run of the new eco-friendly design.