Pathway to Paris: Inspiring Climate Action with Music

October 25, 2017

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First Things First

This is a little unusual, but before we go any farther, we’d like to ask you a few quick questions, OK? Great. Here we go:

  1. Would you like to live on a planet that isn’t always on fire, drowning in rising sea levels, or being demolished by monster hurricane after monster hurricane after monster hurricane?
  2. Do you like amazing music?
  3. Do you like helping to save the world while listening to amazing music?
  4. Are you free the night of Sunday, November 5?

If you answered YES to all four questions, then that’s awesome because we’ve got an event that you’re going to love: Pathway to Paris!

What is Pathway to Paris? Well, we’re really excited that you asked.

 

You Can Definitely Get There from Here

Pathway to Paris was cofounded by musician/activists Jesse Paris Smith and Rebecca Foon in 2014. This year’s concert, at Carnegie Hall in New York City, features a remarkable range of performers: Patti Smith, Joan Baez, Michael Stipe, Talib Kweli, Flea, Cat Power, and more. A lineup of leading climate activists and innovators will be there too, including Bill McKibben, Dr. Vandana Shiva, and others. It will be an unforgettable night. We need events like this, events that unite us in celebration and inspiration, now more than ever.

The inaugural Pathway to Paris concert took place in New York City just after an astonishing 400,000 people took to the Manhattan streets for the People’s Climate March in September of that year. There was another blockbuster show in Paris, coinciding with the UN Climate Change Conference (COP21), to rally support for the Paris Climate Agreement, which was adopted by 195 countries on December 12, 2015.

Of those 195 countries, 168 have since ratified it, meaning that the Agreement has “entered into force,” obligating those countries to fight climate change. This is amazing news—for the first time there is true global momentum toward reducing carbon emissions and keeping the planet habitable. This year’s concert is all about maintaining that momentum and turning it into real-world action. It’ll be taking place just before the nations of the world gather once again to discuss the climate at COP23 in Bonn, Germany.

 

We All Can Make a Difference

As we know, President Trump yanked the United States out of the Paris agreement in May. This, along with the federal government’s general climate-denial stance, has alarmed citizens, activists, scientists, and leaders all over the world. But Pathway to Paris’s cofounders, along with 350.org, want to highlight how local action can meet and even exceed the Paris Agreement’s goals.

Climate change affects all of us, no matter where we live, no matter what we believe (or refuse to believe). So we can’t simply wait for our leaders to start leading. That’s why, this year, they’ll be launching the 1000 Cities project, an initiative that will enlist (at least!) 1000 cities to go off fossil fuels entirely by 2040. (We’re proud to say that Burlington, Vermont, has already done it!)  It harnesses the power and energy of local action to create worldwide change. We’ll be bringing you more news on that project soon.

 

Tonight’s the Night

Climate change is painfully real—but so is the urgent commitment to fighting it shared by so many artists, activists, musicians, writers, politicians, business leaders, and ordinary citizens all around the world.

We all have a role to play in this fight. Not sure where to start? Pathway to Paris can help:

Come for a night of extraordinary music. Leave inspired and motivated to join the climate movement! Sounds like a pretty good deal, right? Great music, powerful community, and a chance to change the world.

Few things inspire and bring people together more joyously and effectively than music. Pathway to Paris in New York City will do just that. And we can’t wait to see you there.

Want to take action on climate change right now? Great! While you're making your travel plans to get to Pathway to Paris, sign the petition here to reject fossil fuels and move to 100% renewable energy!