The Infrastructure and Environmental Consequences of Live Music

2021 ◽  
pp. 117-134
Author(s):  
Brennan Matt
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Environmental Sustainability ◽  
Organizational Structures ◽  
Future Generations ◽  
Music Culture ◽  
Environmental Consequences ◽  
Live Music ◽  
The Uk ◽  
Crucial Part

This chapter offers a backstage perspective on the physical and organizational structures of touring and concertgoing. In doing so, it addresses the global challenges of climate change and environmental sustainability through the lens of the live music sector, focusing on the UK as a case study. More specifically, the chapter investigates how actors in the live music industry—made up of artists, audiences, and organizers—perceive and address climate change and sustainability, one of the most urgent problems facing the wider global community. The chapter develops the concept of a “live music ecology,” arguing that an ecological approach to live music draws attention to three other factors: (1) the materiality of the infrastructures and buildings in which live music happens; (2) the interdependence between the actors who identify themselves as operating within a music scene versus other nonmusic work spheres who have a significant impact on live music; and finally (3) the sustainability of live music culture, where all the factors above contribute to meet the needs of the present ecology “without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.” The underlying argument of this chapter is that the infrastructures at play in the production of live music are often directly at odds with the escapist ideology often found in live music performances as cultural events. Indeed, the chapter highlights some of the ideological contradictions embodied by concert spaces that style themselves as utopian and “green.” Ultimately, it argues that we need more efficient and sustainable musical infrastructures, and that a crucial part of achieving that goal involves developing critical infrastructural imaginaries.

scholarly journals Incorporating Sustainability into the Academic Institution

2021 ◽  
Vol 14 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Charlotte Kate Sinden
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Data Analysis ◽  
Environmental Sustainability ◽  
Environmental Performance ◽  
Secondary Data ◽  
Case Study Approach ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Study Approach ◽  
The Uk

This research examines environmental sustainability in the UK university context. Universities are prioritising sustainability commitments with many declaring a Climate Emergency, as well as recognising the importance of educating students about climate change. This research used a case-study approach in which semi-structured interviews were coupled with secondary data analysis, and suggests universities are pivotal for greater environmental sustainability. The results reiterate the urgent need to significantly improve environmental performance and educate people in the field of sustainability, whilst presenting the challenges and realities faced in doing so. It is recommended that in order to achieve optimum sustainability solutions a cohesive approach is required to embed a common sustainability narrative for all.

scholarly journals Aligning Climate Change and Sustainable Development Goals With an Innovation Systems Roadmap for Renewable Power

2020 ◽  
Vol 1 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rebecca R. Hernandez ◽  
Sarah M. Jordaan ◽  
Ben Kaldunski ◽  
Naresh Kumar
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Sustainable Development ◽  
Renewable Energy ◽  
Environmental Sustainability ◽  
Sustainable Development Goals ◽  
Innovation Systems ◽  
Low Carbon ◽  
Environmental Consequences ◽  
Research Themes ◽  
Development Goals

Energy development improves quality of life for humans, but also incurs environmental consequences. A global energy transition from fossil fuels to renewable energy may mitigate climate change but may also undermine the capacity to achieve some or all 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). In this study, we use an innovation systems approach to construct a comprehensive roadmap for solar and wind energy to anticipate and improve impacts of a transition to a low carbon future in a manner ensuring climate goals and SDGs are mutually reinforcing. Our multidisciplinary approach began with an assessment of public investments in renewable energy followed by a 2-day research prioritization workshop. Fifty-eight expert workshop participants identified six research themes that proactively address the environmental sustainability of renewable energy. Next, we identified linkages between the six research themes and all 17 SDGs. Finally, we conducted a scientiometric analysis to analyze the research maturity of these themes. The results of these efforts elucidated the limits of existing knowledge of renewable energy-SDG interactions, informing the development of a research, development, demonstration, and deployment (RD3) roadmap to a renewable energy future aligned with both climate goals and SDGs. The RD3 roadmap has been designed to systematically develop solutions for diverse actors and organizations. Overall, our findings confer a broad vision for a sustainable transition to renewables to minimize unintended environmental consequences while supporting interoperability among actors particularly poised to influence its magnitude and direction.

Retrofitting heritage office buildings in the UK: a case study

2018 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
pp. 39-50 ◽  
Author(s):  
Olubukola Tokede ◽  
Nilupa Udawatta ◽  
Mark Luther
Keyword(s):  
Energy Savings ◽  
Building Energy ◽  
Simulation Software ◽  
Office Buildings ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Heritage Buildings ◽  
Heritage Building ◽  
The Uk ◽  
Crucial Part

Purpose Heritage buildings are a crucial part of the UK built sector. They perpetuate a sense of identity, prestige and community. Many heritage buildings however tend to be energy inefficient and the scope for retrofitting such buildings is paramount. Heritage buildings require ratification from planning bodies in order to undertake any alteration on the building. This tends to create a bottleneck in the retrofitting of heritage office buildings. The paper aims to discuss this issue. Design/methodology/approach This study utilises a case study building in Scotland to evaluate the potential for retrofitting in a UK heritage office building. Building energy simulation software is used to generate the energy data in different retrofit options. A scenario analysis on the heritage status of the building is also undertaken. Findings The costs, energy consumption and carbon emission levels are evaluated and compared. It was found that the differential in annual energy savings achieved, based on the proportion of capital cost to operational cost, is 14.6 per cent in the heritage building, compared to 24.6 per cent in the non-heritage building. Originality/value The study suggests that government and other stakeholders should seek for ways of incentivising retrofit investments in heritage buildings. This will provide an effective way of minimising the contributions of the built environment to global warming and climate change.

scholarly journals London 2012 and Environmental Sustainability: A Study through the Lens of Environmental Sociology

2013 ◽  
Vol 18 (3) ◽  
pp. 168-173 ◽  
Author(s):  
John Karamichas
Keyword(s):  
Environmental Sustainability ◽  
Olympic Games ◽  
Environmental Sociology ◽  
Rapid Response ◽  
Big Society ◽  
London 2012 ◽  
The Uk ◽  
Host Nation

This rapid response paper examines the claim that Olympic Games hosting can encourage and/or accentuate the adoption of environmental sustainability (ES) policies by the host nation, with London 2012 as a case study. Six indicators that can be used in this examination are identified and subsequently tested in relation to changes brought by austerity/‘Big Society’ policies. The paper closes by suggesting that although the UK, unlike other hosts, had a relatively good ES standing; however, it appears that this has been significantly downgraded in the event and immediate post-event phases of the Games.

scholarly journals Environmental sustainability of biofuels: a review

2020 ◽  
Vol 476 (2243) ◽  
pp. 20200351
Author(s):  
Harish K. Jeswani ◽  
Andrew Chilvers ◽  
Adisa Azapagic
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Environmental Impacts ◽  
Environmental Sustainability ◽  
Fossil Fuels ◽  
Water Footprint ◽  
Ghg Emissions ◽  
Biodiversity Loss ◽  
Low Carbon ◽  
Environmental Consequences ◽  
Methodological Choices

Biofuels are being promoted as a low-carbon alternative to fossil fuels as they could help to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and the related climate change impact from transport. However, there are also concerns that their wider deployment could lead to unintended environmental consequences. Numerous life cycle assessment (LCA) studies have considered the climate change and other environmental impacts of biofuels. However, their findings are often conflicting, with a wide variation in the estimates. Thus, the aim of this paper is to review and analyse the latest available evidence to provide a greater clarity and understanding of the environmental impacts of different liquid biofuels. It is evident from the review that the outcomes of LCA studies are highly situational and dependent on many factors, including the type of feedstock, production routes, data variations and methodological choices. Despite this, the existing evidence suggests that, if no land-use change (LUC) is involved, first-generation biofuels can—on average—have lower GHG emissions than fossil fuels, but the reductions for most feedstocks are insufficient to meet the GHG savings required by the EU Renewable Energy Directive (RED). However, second-generation biofuels have, in general, a greater potential to reduce the emissions, provided there is no LUC. Third-generation biofuels do not represent a feasible option at present state of development as their GHG emissions are higher than those from fossil fuels. As also discussed in the paper, several studies show that reductions in GHG emissions from biofuels are achieved at the expense of other impacts, such as acidification, eutrophication, water footprint and biodiversity loss. The paper also investigates the key methodological aspects and sources of uncertainty in the LCA of biofuels and provides recommendations to address these issues.

scholarly journals Climate change and the energy performance of buildings in the future – A case study for prefabricated buildings in the UK

2021 ◽  
Vol 39 ◽  
pp. 102285
Author(s):  
Fathin Haji Ismail ◽  
Mehdi Shahrestani ◽  
Maria Vahdati ◽  
Philippa Boyd ◽  
Sohrab Donyavi
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Energy Performance ◽  
Energy Performance Of Buildings ◽  
The Future ◽  
The Uk

A ticking time bomb? Liverpool declares a climate emergency: What next?

2019 ◽  
Vol 21 (3) ◽  
pp. 169-172 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jasbinder Ghag
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Carbon Emissions ◽  
Local Level ◽  
City Council ◽  
Ice Caps ◽  
Net Zero ◽  
Key Stakeholders ◽  
Uk Government ◽  
The Uk

The UK government has set a new legally binding target under the Climate Change Act 2008. It now aims to cut carbon emissions to net zero by 2050. This opinion considers whether carbon emissions can really be reduced in practice at the local level in the UK, and uses Liverpool City Council as a case study example. It argues that without coordinated action by various people within the council, between its respective departments, other authorities, organisations, key stakeholders and residents the new target is very unlikely to be met. It also highlights the fact that notwithstanding this, the ice caps are actually melting even faster than even the scientists had predicted and that time is actually running out. It argues that radical action is what is needed and that it is needed now.

scholarly journals Machine learning for research on climate change adaptation policy integration: an exploratory UK case study

2020 ◽  
Vol 20 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Robbert Biesbroek ◽  
Shashi Badloe ◽  
Ioannis N. Athanasiadis
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Machine Learning ◽  
Climate Change Adaptation ◽  
Policy Research ◽  
Policy Integration ◽  
Adaptation Policy ◽  
Using Data ◽  
The Uk ◽  
Climate Change Adaptation Policy

Abstract Understanding how climate change adaptation is integrated into existing policy sectors and organizations is critical to ensure timely and effective climate actions across multiple levels and scales. Studying climate change adaptation policy has become increasingly difficult, particularly given the increasing volume of potentially relevant data available, the validity of existing methods handling large volumes of data, and comprehensiveness of assessing processes of integration across all sectors and public sector organizations over time. This article explores the use of machine learning to assist researchers when conducting adaptation policy research using text as data. We briefly introduce machine learning for text analysis, present the steps of training and testing a neural network model to classify policy texts using data from the UK, and demonstrate its usefulness with quantitative and qualitative illustrations. We conclude the article by reflecting on the merits and pitfalls of using machine learning in our case study and in general for researching climate change adaptation policy.

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