By Noa Abergel ‘25 Billie Eilish, Lenny Kravitz, Jon Batiste, H.E.R., Jack Harlow and Elton John headlined a concert at the Eiffel Tower in Paris last summer, to push governments to fully allocate billions of dollars for climate action as promised. Students are still talking about its impact. The “Power our Planet: Live in Paris” concert was organized by Global Citizen, a non-profit fighting for social justice and against poverty in developing countries. Global Citizen famously organizes an annual music festival to fundraise for poverty relief, with recent headliners including the Red Hot Chili Peppers, Conan Gray, SZA, Metallica and Mariah Carey. The “Power our Planet” festival was separate from the main Global Citizen Festival, which took place in September and focused on poverty rather than climate justice.
“Concerts are a great way to attract the interest of my age group,” said junior Solomon Langer. “With a lineup like that, they can interest lots of different people with different musical tastes, and really spread their message far.” “I think that using the power of music and joy to tackle serious environmental issues is a good way to fuel the flame towards a healthier world climate,” said senior Kenneth Griffel. Aside from music, the Paris concert also featured speeches by climate activists hailing from Kenya, Brazil, Barbados and other developing countries in the Global South, as well as from officials at the World Bank. The event’s host was Oscar-winning actress Michelle Yeoh, who serves as a goodwill ambassador for the United Nations Development Programme on the side. Also present were Black Panther actress Danai Gurira, The White Lotus actress Connie Britton, pro-environment Brazil’s President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva and Kenya’s President William Ruto. The concert ran alongside the Summit for a New Global Financial Pact, also held in Paris, which aimed to ease financial obligations on developing countries hurt by the climate crisis and promote investment in green technologies in the Global South. This follows warnings from experts that despite being responsible for only a small fraction of historical greenhouse gas emissions, and having the lowest greenhouse gas emissions per capita, developing countries in the Global South are far more vulnerable to climate disaster. “The vast majority of environmental and economic problems in the Global South were caused by colonization, imperialism and overstepping by the Global North,” said senior Hannah Weisz. “If anything, we are in severe debt to them for forcing these developing countries to deal with the climate collapse we created.” In January, Billie Eilish opened up about her own climate anxiety in an interview with Vogue Magazine, describing the steps she has taken to reduce her carbon footprint, such as refusing to take private jets and going vegan. “We all wish that we could just [end the climate crisis] ourselves. I wish I could just make changes in my life and save the world alone. Grow my own food and live off the grid. Erase my carbon footprint,” Eilish said. “But all that does is erase me. When really, if every single person just did half of what they should do, we could fix this.” Last year, Eilish even dedicated some of her concert dates in London to host the six-day “Overheated” climate seminar, named after one of her songs. This summit included a Youth Activist Zone and screenings of the new Overheated climate change documentary, aimed to educate her large audience about the consequences of climate change. She also set up “eco-villages” during her 2022 Happier than Ever tour, where fans could register to vote, refill their reusable water bottles, and learn about the climate crisis and various environmental justice non-profits. “Normally, when I hear about major celebrities talking about climate action, I feel a mix of feelings, as although they can easily spread awareness and a sense urgency over a wide fanbase, they also tend to be among the most pollutive individuals, taking private jets and buying lots of fast-fashion clothing and wasting tons of energy at their concerts,” said junior Shayne Cytrynbaum. “But it seems like Billie Eilish, Michelle Yeoh and the other celebrities headlining this concert are really putting in the effort in their own lives, either by reducing their own carbon footprints or by making advocacy a main job of theirs.”
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