Music as a Vehicle for Climate Change Communication: The ClimateMusic Project

Climate change is often communicated in a scientific manner that fails to capture lay audiences emotionally, resulting in a lack of motivation to take action. Studies show that narrative is an effective strategy for engaging the emotional response to scientific information that is necessary to encourage community participation and action. Music can reliably express, modulate, and induce emotional states, and, as a temporal art form, may be a particularly effective vehicle for conveying narrative. This chapter reviews the evidence for music-based approaches to emotional engagement, information delivery, psychological well-being and social cohesion, and their application in climate change communication. The authors discuss the methodologies used in The ClimateMusic Projects compositions and performances, as well as their outreach projects and partnerships. Lastly, the authors examine future opportunities in climate communication, including potential funding sources.