Massive Attack's Robert Del Naja has criticised the music industry for making green pledges without reducing its carbon footprint.
The Bristolian musician told MPs yesterday (March 17) it is an "embarrassment" that the “artist wears the climate T-shirt, waves the placard, while simultaneously operating in a high carbon, high-polluting sector”.
Addressing a select committee about green issues at festivals, Del Naja – known as 3D – said performers "have very little control" over the organisation of gigs and festivals.
"It's been frustrating to experience the lack of meaningful activity within our sector, and as an activist, I've also felt pretty livid about it," he told the House of Commons Digital, Culture, Media and Sport committee.
"The industry seems to have been locked in a cycle of green pledges and carbon calculations while emission rates remain really high."
He argued bands end up “looking like hypocrites” because of a lack of action on environmental issues by the industry.
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Del Naja added bands "don't want to be greenwashing for our own industry" by making environmental statements while little action is taken behind the scenes.
“Bands don’t need to cancel tours, and festivals don’t need to cancel festivals,” he said.
“There are lots of different solutions across transportation – you can charter trains and buses and even gets tents and luggage down to a festival in the right way, and bands can take a train themselves.
“There are lots of different solutions for energy and powering a festival.”
He also addressed Coldplay's halting of touring due to environmental concerns. Frontman Chris Martin has said the band will not tour until they have worked out how to do so sustainably.
"I understand their frustration, all bands have been feeling like this for a long time - how do you square touring with climate change?" Del Naja said. "All of us end up looking like hypocrites... reduced to being messengers.
"But everyone knows that's not the solution - one band stopping touring. Even all bands stopping touring isn't the solution. Culture is important."
Massive Attack has teamed up with the Tyndall Centre for Climate Change Research to create an environmental blueprint for the music industry.
Scientists will study data from Massive Attack's touring schedule to provide guidance on how bands can become more eco-friendly.
The band have long been vocal about environmental issues, including speaking out against proposals to expand Bristol Airport.
