Nature notes: Music can help in fight against climate crisis, claims activist
‘I’m trying to use songwriting to amplify ideas from a larger scientific community’
Friday, 20th October 2023 — By Izzy Rowley
Phoebe Coco and her dog, Molly
AN activist says that music is the answer to fighting the climate crisis.
Phoebe Coco, a musician who lives in Highbury, has been an environmental activist since she was a child – going to protests with her parents, and now, singing at various Extinction Rebellion protests.
“I’m trying to use songwriting to amplify ideas from a larger scientific community,” said Ms Coco.
“For example, one of my new songs, called Mother Tree, was inspired by a book called Finding the Mother Tree that was written by Suzanne Simard, and she proved to the scientific world that trees communicate.”
She added: “People make the argument that we’re going to plant new trees but you can’t just replace a really ancient tree with a new one. That’s what I’m trying to do with my music – creating a shift where we think more about our relationship with the environment as humans.”
Ms Coco released her latest EP, I Am Not A Machine, last week and says that music is another way into climate activism for some people.
“One in six of all species are at risk of extinction… It can be overwhelming to think about everything.
We see the headlines about forest fires, and so many things feel so overwhelming to think about and it’s really, really sad.
“There are so many people and so many opinions, there’s going to be a lot of right ways to do something. There’ll be people who are music lovers and environment and nature lovers…”
Music, she said, can unpack the climate crisis in a different way than news headlines.
“I’m not saying it’s a substitute, but I think it can go alongside or it can be right for some people to engage in that way.”
She added: “It’s very difficult to change things as one person. Music can create movements, and we’ve seen that through history.
“Instead of playing a blame game, it’s about how we can move forward now. What can we do? It might be protecting a space in your local park, or it might be sharing something online. There are lots of different ways, big and small, of engaging.
“We have to remember that we’re part of the natural world.”
