Transforming Entertainment for a Changing World, Part 2 of 2

On today’s program, we’ll continue to present some of the transformations occurring in the entertainment industry as it strives to cope with the COVID-19 and climate change crises.

In 2020, responding to lockdown restrictions mandated in various parts of the world, many major musical festivals and events went virtual. For example, from July 16 to August 1 the Toronto Summer Music Festival took place online, and during that time the audience streamed high quality pre-recorded performances by the musicians.

The Music Declares Emergency is a group of artists, music industry professionals, and organizations that jointly declare a climate and ecological emergency and urgently request an immediate governmental response. Through its campaign, No Music on a Dead Planet, the group is working diligently to get world governments to realize they failed to adequately address the climate crisis.

Vegan hip hop artist Xiuhtezcatl Martinez is known as a bold ecological activist who was the youth director of the environmental and social justice group Earth Guardians. His song “Speak for the Trees" won the Jury Award in the competition at the 2015 United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change.

British megaband The 1975 is making a difference by raising awareness among musicians to address climate change. On the band’s self-titled album, the opening track features a spoken-word essay by Greta Thunberg titled, “Notes On a Conditional Form.” “We are right now in the beginning of a climate and ecological crisis. And we need to call it what it is -- an emergency.”

We give a standing ovation to the entertainment industry for making significant moves against the coronavirus pandemic, and for their efforts in addressing climate change. We thank all the artists and their co-workers for creating content that bring cheer, hope, happiness, love, and laughter to all. Through Heaven’s blessings and grace, may all of Earth’s inhabitants soon adopt the vegan way of life that’s beneficial to both humankind and the environment.