Singing About Climate Change

One of the most important things we can do when it comes to climate change is talk about it...maybe even sing about it!

Made in Canva.

Climate scientist and Christian Katharine Hayhoe says that one of the most important things we can do when it comes to climate change is talk about it—I’d like to add, sing about it!

I recently received a small grant to do just that.

Skype-a-Scientist is an educational non-profit organization on a mission to make science accessible and fun through personal connections with scientists and public art. Their work focuses on connecting people with science and scientists in fun and meaningful ways.

They recently had an open call for submissions for a Science In Real Life (IRL) mini-grant program to support boots-on-the-ground science communication. The goal with these grants was to support projects that put either 1) important science messages or 2) fun, whimsical science messaging in front of people in your own community IRL.

I’m so grateful that my project “Busking for Climate Change” was one of 11 projects selected. I will be street performing across Nashville this Spring and Summer to use music as a vehicle for sparking dialogue about climate change and caring for the environment.

The Need:

Sadly climate change has become a polarizing topic, as it has often been politicized. A little over half of Americans see it as a major threat, but the partisan divide is growing, and Americans are so varied in how they respond to climate change messaging that researchers have identified six subgroups (“Six Americas”) that are unique audiences in the American public that respond in their own distinct way. There’s the Alarmed, Concerned, Cautious, Disengaged, Doubtful, and Dismissive.

In the US, a little over 50% of the population falls into the Alarmed and Concerned categories. The Alarmed believe climate change is a real and urgent threat, and are already doing something about it. The concerned believe it is real as well, but see it as less of a priority. Those who are cautious have many unanswered questions and aren’t really sure if climate change is real. The disengaged don’t care, and the doubtful and dismissive don’t really think it's real and aren’t doing anything about it.

There is a need for climate change conversations to be sparked in creative ways that meet people where they are and in ways they might be more receptive to.

My Project:

For my project, by virtue of singing in public spaces, I will be putting climate change messaging in front of people who fall into all six subgroups (the Six Americas). Largely our audience will be anyone in any of these categories that happens to be nearby.

However, I do hope to more specifically reach the largest known population of climate skeptics in the US, evangelical Christians, and thus I have chosen songs with this in mind.

The songs of choice for this project will be from a climate-themed album of faith-based songs called “Climate Vigil” released by the Porter’s Gate. The Porter’s Gate is an ecumenical arts collective that writes songs for people of faith. Their climate-themed album was produced in collaboration with Climate Vigil, a faith-based non-profit organization that brings people of faith together who are concerned or curious about climate change, empowering them to engage their religious communities.

The album consists of songs that guide the listener through a full gamut of emotions from lamenting the climate crisis and environmental degradation (i.e. “All Creatures Lament”), to songs that are rooted in hope and even joy, celebrating things like biodiversity (i.e. “Declaring Glory”). I also plan to perform an environmental folk song I recently wrote and released through my worship collective called “Come Alive.”

The Goal:

My goal of my project is to overall make people feel hopeful about tackling climate change and environmental crises of our day. Not a blind optimism kind of hope, but what Katharine Hayhoe calls rational hope rooted in action.

To facilitate this, we will organize our music setlist in such a way to start with a song or two of lament and end with more hopeful melodies and messaging. Further, we will have resources and handouts available during and after the event for anyone who wants to learn more or take next steps of action.

I want people to learn that it's ok to talk or sing about climate change, and that climate change doesn’t have to be something that makes us uneasy to talk or learn about. It can take the form of beautiful music that moves and compels us to think more deeply about something that might be uncomfortable or unfamiliar.

I want people to know that talking about climate change can take many forms, and expressions, and music and the arts can be a powerful tool for delivering that. I want people to learn that the environmental crises of our day are real, but so are the solutions.

And I especially want to reach people of faith with my message, that our faith doesn’t have to be a barrier to embracing our climate reality or engaging in things like climate advocacy - I want to be a model of that.