CLIMATE ACTIVE 2023-2024

Amplify: Building a Fan-Based Climate Movement

This research and advocacy project explores how live entertainment can help people take the first steps towards long-term engagement in confronting the climate crisis, as described in Time Magazine by Planet Reimagined’s Executive Director, Adam Met.

The Challenge

Sustained pressure from a critical mass of the population is needed to shift power and change the policies required to address the challenges of our changing climate. Amplify takes on two key challenges: identifying high-impact spaces, or "on-ramps," for mobilizing people and determining the most effective methods for transforming climate concern into sustained climate action.

The Opportunity

Over 250 million people attend concerts every year in the United States, providing a rare opportunity to bring communities together and remind them of their collective ability to produce change. By turning backstage concern into mainstage advocacy, music artists can serve as much-needed climate messengers who amplify the climate movement by mobilizing fans to take action.

Project Progress

To unlock this climate solution, Planet Reimagined partnered with Climate Outreach, a UK-based organization focused on effective climate change communications, to design a digital and in-person study to better understand how fans perceive artists who actively use their platform to engage with critical social issues. 
With the help of Ticketmaster, Live Nation’s sustainability arm Green Nation, and REVERB, a US-based non-profit working to accelerate climate action at live music events, Planet Reimagined sent a first-of-its-kind survey to 350,000 live music fans across the US, including fans of over 400 artists from genres including pop, rock, R&B, hip-hop, country, and metal. Then, in December 2023, Planet Reimagined traveled to major concerts in LA, Miami, and Seattle to bolster the survey findings by testing action mobilization techniques and interviewing fans on the arena concourses. 
The study revealed that most live music fans care about climate change and are ready to act. Nearly three out of four fans (72%) said climate change is an important issue. Plus, 70% of respondents do not oppose artists using their platforms to speak out about climate change, and 53% agreed that they should.
More importantly, if their favorite artist asked them to take climate action, music fans who are concerned about the climate are likely to take actions like signing petitions (68%), voting based on climate issues (60%), and contacting government officials (42%).
Next, Planet Reimagined will implement the Amplify recommendations during AJR’s 43-city nationwide “The Maybe Man” tour. At arenas across the U.S., Planet Reimagined will connect fans with high-impact local action opportunities at each show while REVERB helps to reduce the environmental impact of the tour.
“This research shows us that the level of concern among live music fans about the climate crisis is even higher than the already high level across America,” said musician Adam Met, founder and Executive Director of Planet Reimagined, and the “A” in the successful indie-pop band AJR. “The era of ‘shut up and sing’ is over. Fans are open to hearing artists talk about the issues. Artists can encourage fans to take the kind of policy-focused actions needed to deliver the changes we urgently need.”

Project Partners

Amplify: How to Build a Fan-Based Climate Movement

Meet the Fellows

  • Li-Ya is an educator and climate organizer. With a Ph.D. in Linguistics from the University of Wisconsin at Milwaukee, she has taught Mandarin in public universities for 13 years, empowering students from diverse and underserved communities and building bridges across cultures. She now teaches at Portand State University and Portland Community College. She is a Climate Reality Leader who has shared the stage with Vice President Gore and organized volunteers in Dallas, Texas and Portland, Oregon. Li-Ya is also the host and producer of the podcast "The Green Path − Our Climate Stories." She is committed to advancing climate and social justice through advocacy and effective and relatable storytelling.

  • Caleb Johnson is an educator and musician. He holds a Master's in International Relations from the Institut Barcelona Estudis Internacionals and a Master's in Leadership Studies from Vanguard University. In 2017, Caleb joined the fight against educational inequity with Teach for America, and earned a Teacher of the Year award for his exemplary public service and student outcomes in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Caleb was a Future Leaders Intern for the California Democratic Party where he produced virtual training events for party activists and prospective political candidates. His experience as a Music Director in religious spaces provides a unique insight into the practice of harnessing the power of collective musical experiences to actualize change.

This fellowship is made possible by the generous support of the Patrick J. McGovern Foundation.

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