The 1975 plans first “carbon-removed” event in London
The 1975 are to make history by staging the first-ever “carbon removed” live concert at The O2 in London, as part of a plan by the venue’s organisers to be hosting zero carbon events as of the beginning of 2024.
O2 officials explained that a series of “pilot” events would be held in February, where various methods would be used to extract the carbon generated by the shows and remove it from the atmosphere. “Using this data,” they explained, “the cost of removing the carbon associated with the events can be folded into the existing business model.”
If all goes well, this could become the standard model for all future tours, venues and promoters globally, significantly helping the entertainment industry remove its carbon footprint. Sam Booth, the Director of Sustainability at AEG Europe, stated, “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.”
Mark Stevenson, the Co-Founder and Chief Impact Officer at CUR8, added, “What’s great about these shows is that we can demonstrate that it is now possible to fold the cost of removing the residual CO2 into the existing business model.” Continuing, he explained that the process would be “such that fans won’t notice any difference in the gig experience. It’s a complete win-win-win – for artists and their fans who care about the climate crisis.”
The news will be welcomed by fans of The 1975, who had previously been marred by the consistent controversy generated by lead singer Matty Healy. The carbon-removed events, however, aren’t the first instance of the band’s eco-awareness.
In 2019, they took to social media to encourage fans to plant trees, saying, “Fans of The 1975 unite! Let’s plant trees to honour our favourite band and what they stand for. Let’s plant a future!”
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