Climate Live took over the streets of London today with the next instalment of their global Climate Live concert series – a surprise run of pop-up gigs. Rocking out on the roof of a dazzling open-top bus, a stellar line-up of artists and young activists hit the road on Saturday, 6 November 2021 for a day of outdoor shows across the UK’s capital, raising awareness for the climate emergency through the power of music.
Led by members of Fridays For Future youth climate groups, who organise the school strikes started by Greta Thunberg, Climate Live’s gigs kicked off at the legendary Camden Town, known for being a hotbed for some of the biggest and most influential moments in music. The shows then hit central London, dropping by the iconic London Eye before crossing the river to Embankment. The artists joining Climate Live in asking world leaders attending COP26 “Can You Hear Us Yet” were genre-smashing vibrant punk duo Nova Twins, unfiltered and boundary-pushing GIRLI, as well as indie rock-y band second thoughts.
Following their performance in Camden, Nova Twins said: “We’re honoured to participate in this fight towards climate change, at this pivotal point in time. We’ve all gotta do what we can, where we can, taking personal responsibility to change how we treat the planet, whilst putting pressure on governments and big corporations to help build a sustainable future. We’re living in an imperfect world and there’s no easy solution but we have to take action now. You can feel very helpless on your own but working with a youth organisation of climate justice activists is very inspiring. Nothing is more important than this message and we’re so proud to be a part of it.”
In addition to the performances, various speakers took to the bus rooftop to address the busy crowds drawn to the electric atmosphere of the bus. During the day, Destin M. Sempijja (Uganda), Kevin Mtai (Kenya) and Marcelo Rocha (Brazil) spoke movingly about how their young lives have been affected by the crisis and how it is real and happening now. In Marcelo Rocha’s words: “Climate justice without racial justice is neocolonialism.”
Millions across the globe saw Greta Thunberg launch the Climate Live concert series in October, as a video of Greta “rickrolling” at the Sweden concert set social media on fire. Followed by a 40 hour live music stream from 20 countries across six continents, Climate Live has now hit the UK with today’s special surprise gigs, as the UN climate conference COP26 in Glasgow comes to its halfway point, to engage even more people in the climate emergency. Holding world leaders to account, Climate Live continues to make waves, harnessing the power of music to unite people in the fight for climate justice and the race to safeguard the future of the planet. As Greta Thunberg, 18, says, “To change everything, we need everyone.”
Commenting on the day of action in London, Climate Live Founder Frances Fox, said: “We’re here in London on a big pink bus with our message to world leaders at COP26: ‘Can You Hear Us Yet?’. We are out here making some noise and trying to engage more people in the climate movement! I can’t quite believe we’re here. It all began as a glimmer of an idea in May 2019 that then caught the attention of youth across the globe. It has been humbling to see so many getting involved: there have been regular calls with organisers in over 40 countries as we grappled with the logistics to pull all the events off. It was incredible seeing Greta Thunberg launch the first of the concerts in 20 countries across the world and here we are today with the latest in the series.”
Across the world, Climate Live’s concerts are continuing to raise awareness of the climate emergency and, in particular, the challenges faced today by people on the frontlines of ecological breakdown; how their lives are being torn apart by its effects.
Following the recent publication of the IPCC’s landmark report on the impending climate crisis, Climate Live aims to rally people around the world through the power of music and reach those who aren’t currently engaged in the crisis. As the key climate summit, COP26, goes into its negotiation stage, the global concert series echoes around the world, letting world leaders know that more must be done, much more quickly, to protect the planet and those who are experiencing the devastating effects of the crisis every day.
Join in on socials with tag #CanYouHearUsYet? and sign Climate Live’s COP26 Global Petition today, which will be handed to world leaders at COP26 in Glasgow: https://climatelive.org/petition/
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