Coldplay to stage UAE’s first carbon neutral gig

CARBON CONSCIOUS: Coldplay will be the first band to hold a carbon neutral gig in the UAE, during the last date of their Viva La Vida world tour. (Getty Images)

The upcoming Coldplay concert on Mar 28 is set to make history as the first carbon neutral music event in the UAE.     

To offset the band’s carbon footprint through lighting, electricity and flights, the concert's organiser Flash plans to finance an unannounced sustainability project.    

Meanwhile, Environmena, an Abu Dhabi solar power systems installation company, is carrying out an initial audit into the likely level of C02 emissions produced by the concert.

It will then conduct a final review following the event.

The initiative, backed by Emirates Wildlife Society – World Wide Fund for Nature (EWS-WWF), will also see Coldplay addressing 15,000 fans to promote Earth Hour, which falls on the same day of the concert.

Earth Hour is an environmental scheme to raise awareness of climate change by encouraging people to switch off unnecessary lights and electricity for one hour.

“Earth Hour is a powerful symbol of what can be achieved through individual action on a global scale, with the whole world coming together in a response to tackle climate change,” said Razan Khalifa Al Mubarak, managing director of EWS-WWF.

“In the UAE we are keen to grasp the momentum generated by this global occasion, urging everyone to make the switch for one symbolic hour, thus taking affirmative action towards helping save our planet.”

The concert will also highlight EWS-WWF’s Heroes of the UAE campaign, promoting energy sustainability in the country.

Prior to the event, fans are being encouraged to switch off all lights, air conditioning and electricity before heading to the concert at Emirates Palace in Abu Dhabi.

They have also been asked to carpool where possible.  

All concert goers will be given wristbands featuring the EWS-WWF’s Heroes of the UAE campaign website address (www.heroesoftheuae.ae).

Posters and banners will be hung around the venue to promote the cause, while volunteers will be on hand to highlight the initiative.  

The Abu Dhabi gig will be Coldplay’s only stop in the Middle East and the last leg of the band’s Viva La Vida world tour.

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