The group Shaka Ponk bids farewell to the stage this Saturday, November 30. Tonight’s concert at the Accord Arena in Paris Bercy is the last date of the tour « The Final F#*ked Up tour ». But also the final chance for fans to immerse themselves in the unique universe of its two singers, Sam and Frah.
The rock group decided to end its work, for ecological reasons. Like his style, this decision stands out in the musical landscape, where separations are often linked to personal conflicts.
“We chose to stop out of existential consistency. We cannot deliver beautiful messages and cultivate a professional activity that is so polluting”justified Frah, whose real name is François Charon, in the show “La Terre au Carré”, on France Inter, last June.
Tours, which take artists to the four corners of the planet, emit thousands of tons of CO2 and directly contribute to climate change.
The heavy impact of transport
Especially if, like Taylor Swift, the artists travel by private jet. Between January and July 2022 alone, its flights emitted approximately 8,300 tons of greenhouse gases, earning it the title of “most polluting celebrity”according to a ranking established by the sustainable marketing agency Yard. And that was before his “Eras Tour” and its 152 dates around the world.
Beyond the transport of artists, that of the public, equipment, food and drinks are the most important emissions items linked to concerts, underlines a November 2021 report from the Shift Project. The shows themselves only have a marginal place in their carbon footprint, despite the electricity required by the sound and light systems.
The think tank specifies that the weight of each emission position depends on the type of location. For a large festival organized outside a large city, such as Les Vieilles Charrues (Finistère), it is public transport which emits the most according to its calculations, with 7,781 tonnes of greenhouse gases, or nearly 50% of the total. Next comes the transport of equipment (3,706 t), food (2,256 t) and beverages (856 t).
A performance hall would emit between 1,200 and 1,500 tonnes of CO2 per year, depending on its location (city center or outskirts).
Several courses of action
But the environmental impact of concerts is not limited to greenhouse gas emissions. Many festivals also generate a large amount of waste.
In its report, the Shift Project outlines several avenues for limiting the footprint of concerts: finding a green electricity supplier, increasing the programming of local artists, pooling equipment between several venues located nearby, encouraging carpooling, etc. Festivals who want to be eco-responsible, such as We Love Green or Terres de son, are already implementing some of these initiatives.