Mapping the future of Super Low Carbon Live Music with Massive Attack

Commissioned by the band Massive Attack, researchers at the Tyndall Centre for Climate Change Research produced a roadmap that sets out emissions reduction goals that would make the live music sector compatible with targets in the Paris Agreement.

The live music industry generates £4.6 billion annually and employs more than 200,000 people, but lacks a comprehensive plan to align with the Paris Agreement’s 1.5°C climate targets.

Despite taking steps to reduce the environmental impact associated with touring, Bristol-formed trip hop collective Massive Attack remained concerned with the carbon footprint of their schedules and the wider issues in the music sector as a whole.  

The band felt that any protest they made alone would not make a meaningful difference, so they decided to try to make a wider, more transformative contribution to sector decarbonisation efforts.

Driving industry-wide action to guide positive change

Massive Attack partnered with the Tyndall Centre for Climate Change Research and a team including Professor Carly McLachlan, Dr Chris Jones and Dr Sarah Mander, to obtain and analyse data from the band’s touring schedule with an aim to provide advice on their own touring practice.

The project saw Tyndall Manchester map the carbon footprint of Massive Attack’s tour cycles to highlight opportunities for low carbon practices that could be implemented quickly and have an immediate impact.

By reviewing UK climate targets, national and sectoral decarbonisation plans and interviewing key stakeholders in the sector, the team created an open information resource for the music industry, offering clear, direct and highly transferrable recommendations.

A roadmap to lowering carbon emissions in the live music sector

Based on sector-wide analysis, the roadmap identified three focus areas for driving super low carbon activity: 

• moving people and equipment;
• energy use at venues;
• audience travel.

For each of these areas the roadmap made clear and actionable recommendations. These included:

• limiting air travel to a sector maximum of 80% of pre-pandemic levels;
• reducing energy consumption and emissions from buildings – for example no use of fossil fuels in heating or catering;
• making sure that public transport, walking and cycling are the easiest and most affordable options for audience travel;
• ensuring emissions reduction targets remain until emissions reach zero (aiming for ‘zero’ rather than ‘net zero’).

Overall the roadmap sets out three key principles to deliver super low carbon tours:

• Super-low carbon practices should be central from tour inception.
• All those working in the sector should use their direct power and wider influence to adopt and champion new practices.
• Practices must be monitored and reviewed – at sector and organisational scales.

Immediate industry impact worldwide

The project generated global media engagement, industry debate and political interest, with headline news coverage across the world. Its comprehensive formula empowered Massive Attack to become the first artists to commit their touring company to the UN Race to Zero.

In response to the roadmap, Massive Attack developed six key emissions reduction modules for their 2022 tour. The modules trialled practical implementations, conducted modelling on interactive logistics, and consolidated all project insights in a major UK testbed live show – aiming to drive widespread change across the industry.

Looking to the future

In 2024, Massive Attack used the roadmap to deliver the lowest-carbon concert of its scale over the August bank holiday weekend. All power at the festival was from batteries charged from renewable sources, with electric trucks taking the batteries offsite to recharge. The event also featured an all plant-based menu.

To support sustainable transportation chartered trains ran after the show, a fleet of free electric buses took attendees to the station and those who arrived on public transport were given access to a VIP bar.

The University is continuing its collaboration with Massive Attack, discussing future projects that will evaluate the success of the strategies implemented during live shows, as well as the challenges encountered throughout the process.

Commenting on the collaboration with Massive Attack, Professor McLachlan said: "Their commitment to making change happen and using all the levers they can is amazing. It's really impressive to see how they build partnerships and collaborations to stretch ambition and impact."

Professor McLachlan and the Tyndall Centre for Climate Research have worked with the Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA) since 2019 to help Manchester set science-led emission-reduction targets in keeping with the Paris agreement, and co-develop a carbon and co-benefits toolkit for their decision-making process to turn targets into actions. In June 2025, the Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty Initiative was signed with Massive Attack and Andy Burnham, the Mayor of Greater Manchester, on the roof of the GMCA.