Is the dance music industry helping to destroy the environment?
Is the dance music industry destroying our environment?
What a grim headline, but it’s a point we need to examine to be accountable for our part in the reality of the world we’re living in, be it positive or negative.
An opinion piece on DJMag takes a look at the dance music industry and how it’s affecting the environment and surprisingly it has more to do with DJs/Producers flying to gigs than festivals creating filth.
Dance/electronic music is booming; the industry was worth $7.3bn this May with projections for 2021 looking like untuntsunts will be worth $9bn.
With 40% of revenue in the US (and surely the rest of the world) coming from festivals, events are paying top-dollar to get line-ups that will keep people coming back for more.
Throughout its evolution, festivals went from an all-local line-up, to booking one international, to now, where it’s a star-studded affair every time- we as festival-goers are spoilt rotten!
But it’s these flying acts that have a hand in the harm of our environment.
Demon fuel
Looking at emissions, experts at Technical University Delft believe that travelling by air contributes to 5% of human-induced carbon dioxide (demon fuel) in the atmosphere, contributing to climate change.
Stopping people from flying is unrealistic until other means of travel are possible (Elon, we’re looking at you), but perhaps we can look at balancing the scale.
New York DJ and producer Sammy Bananas, founder of DJs For Climate Action reckons we can put DJs to positive environmental use:
“[DJs] are already traveling the world, so you could have these global warming diplomats almost. Give them a message and they can spread it really far,” he said.
That’s a grand idea, but I believe that festival organizers booking DJs can also have a positive impact with initiatives at festivals aimed at decreasing carbon emissions, increasing forest and tree planting, creating awareness of environmental changes and plans, etc: That way, you can actively change the mentality of the thousands of people who leave your festival.
For example, BOOM Festival in Portugal attracts over 40 000 festival goers from all over the world and boasts a line-up that will have your ears crying with joy- they have environmental sustainability projects running year-round.
To put all the blame of environmental woes on the dance music industry is unfair, but that doesn’t mean we can’t do our best as a collective and make positive changes.
Sourced
