Hear Ken Davis - Early Morning In The Rainforest

Early Morning in The Rainforest

2. Popular Music & 


The Environment

(Empowering The  Planet)

The Living End - Who's Gonna Save Us?

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Popular music, apart from providing good entertainment, has also proven a powerful

force speaking for the rights of the oppressed and the exploited as we can and have 

demonstrated with respect to women, coloured people, and others. At times, however, 

it also speaks for other downtrodden sectors or classes in society. But but not only that, 

it can also champion the rights of those 'things' which can’t quite `speak’ for  

themselves. In this sense we are talking collectively about the `environment’. By that

we mean the flora and fauna on this planet so seriously threatened by the activities of 

humankind. In this topic we examine some of the music and the messages therein

aimed at spreading awareness of the threat of, and the actual, destruction of our 

natural environment by human activities resulting in deadly pollution, other damage and

ultimately Climate Change.

Let us now turn to the music

of the environment, something

many would argue is also 

linked to the globalisation of  

Capitalism, and to the growth 

of a new politics - or ideology -

called 'Environmentalism'. Like

class and human rights, in the

21st century, the protection of  

the environment has become a 

major theme in much Western 

Pop music.

Enya - Caribbean Blue

The Environment Has Emerged As A Global And Transnational Issue

Like Human Rights and other transnational issues, another issue of definitely a 

transnational character in world politics today has been the destruction of the 

environment by human activity. And like Human Rights, it too has only really emerged 

as a recognized global issue in the last 40 years or so. Moreover, protection of the 

environment has and is also been championed by 'cause-orientated' movements - 

like  Green Peace, Friends of the Earth, Sea Shepherd,  etc -  all transnational groups 

advocating for the environment, just like Amnesty International does for Human Rights.

There has been some sense of concern about protecting our global environment for 

many years. After all, it is the environment that sustains human life and if the 

environment  fails then so do we.


Beginnings With Nuclear Age And Prospects of Nuclear War

The first real global concerns with the environment only emerged quite recently, and in

relation to warfare and most obviously fears of the consequences of nuclear war. As 

we know, wars have been fought since the emergence of human kind with no real 

concern for their impact on the environment. However, it was the reality of nuclear

war, radioactive fall out, and the devastating effect nuclear bombs have on the human 

environment, you could argue, that for many sparked off much of human kind’s present

concern with the environment, at least in the first instance. Take Bob Dylan for 

example and his concerns about the impact of nuclear war.

In the late 1950s and early 1960s, after 

the atomic bombing of Hiroshima and 

Nagasaki in Japan and the evidence of the

effects of radiation contaminating the 

environment for years, and also after the 

prolonged US and French nuclear testing 

in the Pacific in the 1950s,  the global 

community realised that the environment 

was a finite and fragile thing. It had to be

protected, at least from the damages of 

nuclear weapons and nuclear waste.

However, as we know, for awhile that 

was about the extent of such concern. 

Little was known and little was done about

human induced pollution and its 

devastating consequences for the planet.

Bob Dylan - Hard Rain's Gonna Fall

Hiroshima

Bikini Atoll

Muroroa

Concerns About Other Threats To The Environment Even More Recent

In fact, the idea that the relationship between human beings and/or human activity, in

total with regard to other activities, apart from war making and the natural world (our 

natural environment) being politically important, is only of even more recent origin.  

Apart from concerns about the environment being damaged by nuclear war, it wasn't

really until the 1960s, that the idea our natural environment was little more than 

an economic resource for human exploitation began to be abandoned by most political 

thinkers.


What Changed This View

What changed this view was the rapid growing awareness and realization at that 

time that in exploiting nature by activities related to industrialization and economic 

development,  human beings were actually placing their own future and actual survival 

in jeopardy. As we know, the Earth’s human population has continued to expand, an 

estimated 6 billion people are alive today and it is estimated that this will grow to 8.5 

billion by the year 2025. 

But at the same time, human beings, in all 

parts of the world, most particularly in the 

industrialized West, have demanded higher

standards of living and greater affluence, 

which can only be achieved by using greater 

quantities of the earth’s resources. The result of this

is that it is now apparent the natural resources 

available on the planet to feed, sustain and satisfy its

human population are running out and in some 

cases are close to exhaustion. 

In addition, we now know that the earth itself and all its species have increasingly been 

blighted by pollution and waste, the by-products of human economic activity. In the 

latter half of the 20th century with massive industrialization in both the West and the 

East, there soon grew an awareness of pollution of the atmosphere and how this could

kill our flora and fauna, and eventually the whole planet, not to mention the impact of 

global warming and climate change. Collectively - we are realizing that we live on this 

thing called 'Planet Earth' and it must be protected - for our own sake.

Verdelle Smith - Tar & Cement

Growth of Green Political Ideas

As concern about environmental issues has grown, a distinctive set of political ideas and

values has emerged which has openly challenged established ideologies of the Left, 

Right and Centre. As yet, this new ideology lacks a single, agreed title. 

 
Green Politics

Various names have been employed by different groups. `Green’ has been used since 

the 1950s to indicate sympathy for environmental issues or projects, and since 1980 

has been adopted by the growing number of environmental parties, the first being the 

German Greens. However, as a result of the development of Green parties the term has

been linked  to the specific ideas and politics of such parties, rather than the principles 

of the larger environmental movement. 


(`The term Ecology is commonly used to indicate the inter-relatedness of natural life, a

fundamental principle of environmental thought. Ecology has been used to refer to a 

branch of biology which studies the relationship among living organisms and their 

environment. Although all environmental thinkers respect the principles of ecology, the 

environmental movement has moved far beyond the ideas of scientific ecology, and 

scientists have, in turn, sometimes been critical of the quasi-religious character of 

modern environmental thought.)

 

Environmentalism

Environmentalism is a broad term which

has now emerged mainstream. It has been

used since the 1950s to refer to a range of

ideas and theories, characterized by the

central belief that human life can only be 

understood in the context of the natural 

world. 


Environmentalism covers a broad range 

of theories, scientific, religious, economic 

and political, rather than a particular set

of policies, such as those endorsed by the

contemporary Green movement. 

However, the term `environmentalism’ 

has the disadvantage that it is sometimes 

used to refer to a moderate or reformist 

approach to the environment which 

responds to environmental crises without

fundamentally questioning conventional 

assumptions about the natural world.  

Earth First - The Politics of Radical Environmentalism

Many would argue that if environmentalism constitutes a distinctive and coherent 

political ideology, it must embody a radically new conception of the relationship 

between humankind and nature which challenges the ideas and values of existing 

political creeds rather than merely supplementing them.


Origins of Environmentalism

Although modern environmental politics did not emerge until the 1960s, environmental

ideas date back much earlier. Many have suggested that the principles of contemporary

environmentalism owe much to ancient Pagan religions, which stressed the concept of 

an 'Earth Mother', and also to Eastern religions such as Hinduism, Buddhism and 

Taoism. However, to a large extent, environmentalism was, and still remains, a reaction

against industrialization. This was evident in the 19th century when the spread of urban

and industrial life created a profound nostalgia for an idealized rural existence, 

conveyed by novelists such as Thomas Hardy. This reaction was often strongest in 

those countries which experienced the most rapid and dramatic process of 

industrialization. For example, in little more than 30 years Germany became an 

industrial power capable by the late 19th century of challenging the economic might of 

Britain and the United States. This experience deeply scarred German political culture, 

creating powerful myths about the purity and dignity of peasant life and giving rise to a 

strong `back to nature’ movement among German youth. Such 'pastoralism' was 

exploited in the 20th Century by Nationalists and Fascists.

Hitler

Environmentalism In The Early 

21st Century

The growth of environmentalism as an 

ideology in the late 20th Century was 

provoked by the relentless progress of 

industrialization and urbanization. Also, 

environmental concerns became more 

acute and radical because of fears that 

economic growth threatens to endanger 

the survival of  the human race and the 

very planet it lives on.

Growth Of Activist Pressure Groups

In response, we have now seen a new generation of activist pressure groups develop, 

such as Green Peace, Sea Shepherd and Friends of the Earth, which highlight

environmental issues like the dangers of nuclear power, pollution, global warming, the

threat to our marine life, climate change and the dwindling levels of `fossil fuels’ left

on the earth. Together with established and much larger groups such as the World 

Wildlife Fund, we have seen the emergence of a well-publicized and increasingly 

powerful environmental movement. And since 1980, environmental questions have

been kept high on the political agenda by the Green Parties, and other groups we have

talked about, which now exist in most industrialized countries.

Greenpeace

Friends Of The Earth - The Big Ask

Issues

Environmental politics has clearly drawn attention to issues like pollution, 

conservation, acid rain’ the Green House Affect’ and the ozone layer and global 

warming - (in short 'Climate Change'), the ravages of mining, and logging, sea level 

rising, pollution, etc. But, more than that, today environmentalists refuse to accept that

they constitute merely another single-issue lobby group. 

 
In the first place, the environmental movement has addressed a far broader range of 

issues. The Greens in Germany, for instance, have campaigned on the role of women, 

defence and disarmament, the welfare state and unemployment, and the need for re-

examination of Germany’s Nazi past, as well as on narrower environmental issues. 


More significantly, environmentalists everywhere have developed a radically new set

of concepts and values with which to understand and explain the world. As such, 

environmentalism has developed into a distinctive ideology which stands apart from 

traditional political creeds because it starts from an examination of what they have 

tended to ignore: the relationship between humankind and nature. 

Environmentalism - An All Embracing Ideology

It is difficult if not near impossible to slot Environmentalism into the established Left-

Right political divide or to understand it these days in terms of established doctrines and

philosophies. In fact, today, Environmentalism is emerging as an all embracing ideology

- one which challenges the present status quo,  and one which embraces notions of 

class and class conflict etc. As one author has noted:

`Environmentalists have criticized the most basic assumption upon which conventional 

political thought is based. Traditional doctrines and ideologies are anthropocentric, they

commit the sad mistake of believing that human beings are the centerpiece of 

existence.' (sources) 


Authors like David Ehrenfield, have called this the `arrogance of humanism’. For 

example, the categories in which conventional thought analyses the world are those 

solely of human beings and their groups, for instance, the `individual,’ `social class’, 

nation’ or humanity’. Moreover, its abiding values are ones which reflect only apparent

human needs and interests, `liberty’, equality’, justice `order’, and so forth.  But what 

about the Environment?


These days, Environmentalists, on the other hand, argue that such an exclusive concern

with human beings, and even class concerns, distorts and damages the relationship 

between humans and the natural environment. Instead of preserving and respecting the 

earth and the diverse species that live upon it, human beings have sought to become, in 

the words of John Locke, `the masters and possessors of nature.’


According to Environmentalists, all major ideologies embody an anthropocentric bias.

Environmentalists point out that they merely promise different ways of exploiting

nature for the convenience and benefit of humankind. The conventional Left-Right

divide in politics, the conflict between collectivism and individualism, only reflects 

different views about the ownership of wealth in society: common ownership versus 

private ownership, socialism versus capitalism. They really say nothing about the 

environment. In fact, both positions are dedicated to the same goal; greater material 

affluence, achieved by an ever-more efficient exploitation of the natural world. Political

debate is therefore thus reduced to a narrow discussion of how the goal of economic 

growth can be best achieved, and about who should benefit from it. 

 
Such Views Jeopardize The Balance Between Humans and Nature

Such views have, Environmentalists warn, tragically balanced the relationship between

human kind and nature. Nature is portrayed as separate from human life, inhospitable

to it, and even hostile. Nature has to be `conquered’, `battled against’ or `risen above’. 

However, in the process, the natural world has not only been despoiled but the human 

species itself has been brought close to destruction.


'Environmentalism Therefore Represents A New Style Of Politics.'

Environmentalism therefore represents a new style of politics. 'It starts not from a 

conception of `humanity’ or human needs, but from a vision of nature as a network of 

precious but fragile relationships between living species, including the human race, and 

the natural environment. Human kind no longer occupies the centre stage, but is 

regarded as an inseparable part of nature. Human beings are therefore required to 

practise humility, moderation and gentleness, and to give up the misguided dream that 

science and technology can solve all their problems. In order to give expression to this 

vision, environmentalists have thus  been forced to search for new concepts in the realm

of science, or rediscover ancient ones from the realms of religion and mythology.’ 

(Sources -Heywood Political Ideology)

Environmentalist Edward Wilson

Environmentalism & Music

Environmentalism as a movement and an ideology today, has an all embracing world 

view, and today pop music, in many respects, again just as it reflects its social context, 

is also reflecting the emergence of this mindset, ideology and movement. As we have 

seen, Pop music as with other social commentary in the late 1980s and 90s, also 

became just as politicized about the environment. We now see the emergence of Pop 

music, and artists, which both implicitly and explicitly promote the ideology and 

interests of Environmentalism, which as an ideology has emerged with a total world 

view embracing class, the economy, the environment, etc.

Moody Blues - How Is It We Are Here

Environmentalism Has Also Emerged As An Issue Embraced by Pop

There are many environmentalist artists today. Those that are, loosely speaking, adhere 

to a certain environmentalist belief system which has views on power relations, class 

structures, globalisation, education etc, and of course their harmony with the natural 

environment.  Many artists, like Peter Garret from the Australian group Midnight Oil, 

from time to time embraced issues of the environment in their music. This is not 

actually a new phenomenon, as there has been an interest - or view expressed on the 

environment quite early in the evolution of modern Pop music. Take Hedgehoppers 

Anonymous for example with 'It's Good News Week'. Some artists over time have very 

much become champions of the environment. Sting and Midnight Oil are two such

examples. 

Hedgehoppers Anonymous - Its Good News Week

In the case of

Midnight Oil, we have

a band which  

effectively combined 

environmental issues 

with exploitation of 

workers in much of 

their songs. 

Midnight Oil - River Runs Red

Midnight Oil effectively make the links between capitalism and class struggle and the 

exploitation of people and the natural environment. They attempt to make these sorts of

political connections with their music - music that often, in a post Cold War world, 

makes the connection between pollution and the threat to the environment, with both 

capitalism and the need to survive. 

Midnight Oil - Blue Sky Mine

 
Today, many argue it is capitalism and the promotion of a system with totally

unplanned production and no environmental cost built in which is clearly harming the 

environment. Moreover, most often the environment is tightly involved with class

politics - the politics of exploitation with indiscriminate mining and logging and the

often exploitation of both people who own the land or who work for the operation. For 

example in the clip above, Midnight Oil talk about the exploitation of the environment 

by mining companies and all the other abuses.


Another artist that springs to mind is Sting and his interest in preserving the Rainforests

in South America and also the lifeways of the tribal peoples therein. While not

explicitly singing about them, he nonetheless uses his status to champion this 

environmental cause.

Sting - Campaign To Save The Rainforest

Music That Conjures Up Environmentalism

Apart from artists and music that makes explicit statements about environmentalism,

there is also music that can be argued that is just as explicitly environmentalist as it

attempts to conjure up or invoke pro-environmentalist feelings or emotions. Take much

wilderness music today, for example, music that could also be called Pop music in its

own right. And who could go past Enya or even artists like Ken Davis?

Enya - In Memory of Trees

Ken Davis - Rainforest

But also consider some more mainstream artists who, from time to time, play music 

that just conjures up friendly images of the environment - and in that alone says 

something. Artists such as Fleetwood Mac, and Icehouse for example.

Fleetwood Mac - Albatross

Icehouse - Great Southern Land

And let us end with Michael Jackson and Earth Song.

Michael Jackson - Earth Song

 A Question/ Point To Consider:


Do you think modern Popular Music has had any success in spreading awareness and

concern as to the current massive threat human activity poses to our environment?

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