Sunday, February 2, 2014

Communicating Climate Science in Music and Theater

I gave a talk on Communicating Climate Science in Music, Theater and Film last week at the SRJC Environmental Forum. This was a similar talk I gave at the AGU Chapman Conference on Communicating Climate Science in June 2013, but a bit longer. I dedicated the talk to Pete Seeger who just passed. Some students asked for my powerpoint lecture that has links to great resources including arts programs and artists working on climate change. The only way I could get it uploaded into this blog is by making it a video. I included a Pete Seeger's song One Blue Sky as a soundtrack. It doesn't have a narration so the flow might not make sense but the good info is in there. Maybe I'll add narration so it can stand alone but I wanted to post this ASAP so students could do a project on it. So here it is....


I also created a youtube playlist Climate Change Songs with over 70 music videos on climate change from around the world that is public. All the songs in my presentation, plus many more, can be found there. Here is a song on Greenhouse Gases I covered by Hy Zaret: 


Here are some of my favorites Climate Change Songs from other artists:








My favorites from the PNG. They hit the nail with Pete Seeger's proverbial hammer:

 "There is one major cause of climate change-greed and selfishness."





A Climate Change Song, written and performed by the Ponai String Band from Ahus Island, Manus Province, Papua New Guinea.

LYRICS (translated to English):

In the world today there is a big problem
of climate change,
In the world today there is a big problem
of climate change

It is a big concern for the government, non-government organisations and grassroots movements,
Weather patterns are changing and the sea is rising,
sea level rise will affect men and women and their land

There is one major cause of climate change-
greed and selfishness cause climate change,
big factories contribute to climate change

We ask the national government create the policies and guidelines to limit human activities,
and therefore look after the people of Manus and of course Ahus Island people too!

There is one major cause of climate change-
greed and selfishness cause climate change,
big factories contribute to climate change...

BACKGROUND:
Ahus Island in Manus Province of Papua New Guinea is a very low-lying sand island severely affected by climate change impacts. Sand erosion is shrinking their island, their freshwater wells are becoming brackish and changing weather patterns and oceanic currents are making finding fish difficult. Their very survival on this island is threatened.

Filmed and edited by Kat Gawlik of 'For Greenies' with support from AusAID - "Building the resilience of communities and their ecosystems to the impacts of climate change in the Pacific", The Nature Conservancy and WWF


With great love, to Pete Seeger: