The owners of The O2 in London have said over 500 tonnes of residual carbon were safely extracted during The 1975’s “carbon-removed” shows at the venue.
The run of four shows in February this year have been billed as the world’s first such green-conscious large-scale concerts.
AEG Europe, which owns the venue, worked with carbon removal experts CUR8 and sustainable event specialists A Greener Future on the shows, using a portfolio of scientifically viable carbon removal methods, including rock weathering and biochar.
A total of 545.9 tonnes of residual carbon were extracted and removed during the shows, the equivalent of the average yearly electricity usage of 395 homes. The venue now plans to extend the blueprint to future concerts.
AEG Europe Director of Sustainability Sam Booth has said: “With the success of this world-first pilot series of arena events, we’ve proven that it’s possible to run an arena-size live show which doesn’t compromise on a great fan experience but still accounts for the impact it has on the environment.”
“We hope this serves as a wakeup call to the wider industry that carbon removals are a viable solution that can be used to operate live events, but they need buy-in from everyone in the live ecosystem in order to be a success – from venues and promoters right the way through to artists themselves.”
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“We’re fully committed to continuing to innovate and find even more ways to make our world-class events across AEG Europe more sustainable, as we strive for a low-carbon future for the live industry,” he added.
The “carbon removed” shows were announced last September, with Booth saying: “We’re incredibly proud to be hosting the world’s first carbon-removed events here at The O2.”
“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.”
The 1975 have been using their platform to try to make a positive impact on the environment for several years. In 2019, Matty Healy and co. called on their fans to plant trees in the band’s honour.
“Fans of @the1975 unite! Let’s plant trees to honour our favourite band and what they stand for. Let’s plant a future!” the frontman wrote at the time.
Additionally, just a few months earlier, Healy praised the spirit of climate activist Greta Thunberg, hailing her “the most punk person he’s ever met”. This followed the band teaming up with Thunberg on ‘The 1975’ – a spoken word essay about the effects of climate change and the opening track from their album ‘Notes On A Conditional Form’. All proceeds for the track went to environmental campaign group Extinction Rebellion.
They also joined forces with climate change organisation Music Declares Emergency for a charity t-shirt in 2021. The design was based around their rectangle logo, bearing the ‘No Music On A Dead Planet’ slogan alongside the words: “The 1975 for MDE.”
Last month, Healy shared a new solo track, ‘Loads Of Crisps’. He shared the song, which had previously existed as a demo by the band in 2022, on his Soundcloud page under his Truman Black moniker.
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