Christopher BarrettMassive Attack are to perform their first UK show in five years at Bristol’s Clifton Downs on 25 August with a raft of ground-breaking environmental sustainability measures in place.
The Bristol band’s Robert Del Naja and Grant Marshall said the show will be the first physical fruition of their collaboration with climate scientists and analysts from the Tyndall Centre for Climate Change Research, which Massive Attack commissioned to create a roadmap for the live music industry to make emissions reductions compatible with the 1.5 degree temperature change limit specified in the 2015 Paris Agreement.
Promoted and produced by AEG Presents and Team Love, who stage the 60,000-capacity Forwards Festival on the site, the Act 1.5 show is being described as a ‘large-scale climate action accelerator event’ and ‘the lowest carbon show of its size ever staged’. All decarbonisation measures were designed and created by the ACT 1.5 project working with Massive Attack, and the Tyndall Centre for Climate Change Research.
Among the measures being taken to minimise the carbon footprint of the event are the entire event site being powered fully by renewable energy, a zero to landfill waste removal policy, and a localised presale period to deter private car travel. A rail travel incentive initiative will also be in place and there will be free post-show electric shuttles to main rail hubs.
The band said the show will be the culmination of 25 years of climate activism by the act who were the first band globally to become members of the UN Race to Zero programme – committing all of their touring and production activities to Paris 1.5 compatible decarbonisation measures in scopes 1, 2 and 3.
Among the partners involved in the event are UN Race To Zero, Zenobe, Ecotricity and Train Hugger.
Other key environmental measures to be taken at the event include the provision of a meat-free arena, while all touring and production vehicles will be electric or powered by 100% waste product HVO fuel. The show will result in the creation of a woodland plantation in the South West in partnership with Train Hugger and The Royal Forestry Society.
The Tyndall Centre for Climate Change Research professor Carly McLachlan said, “This is precisely the type of transformative approach that we need to see more of in the live music sector and indeed every sector; one that has the collaboration and vision to reduce emissions across all areas of impact and working beyond the areas you directly control to unlock the systemic change we urgently need to deliver on our Paris Agreement commitments.”