Pearl Jam invest in Amazonian reforestation to mitigate Brazilian tour carbon emissions
Pearl Jam are supporting a tropical forest restoration project to offset the carbon emissions created from their current tour in Brazil.
The conscientiously minded Seattle rockers have joined forces with Conservation International (CI) to offset the estimated 2,500 tons of carbon dioxide emissions they will generate on their Brazilian tour.
The band are playing two dates in the South American country kicking off at Maracanã Stadium in Rio de Janiero tonight (21st March) and wrapping up at Sao Paulo’s Autódromo José Carlos Pace on Saturday (24th March).
According to a report on Mongabay.com, Pearl Jam bought their offsets through Amazonia Live, which is a partnership between Rock in Rio, CI, Brazil’s Environment Ministry, the World Bank, and others.
Rodrigo Medeiros, Vice President of CI Brazil, told Mongabay that the cost of offsetting the 2,500 tons of carbon Pearl Jam will create is $50,000.
Pearl Jam’s pledge will go directly to an agroforestry project at the Uatumã Reserve in Amazonas state, Brazil, where 20,600 trees will be planted over 8 hectares of land.
It’s part of a larger environmental scheme that aims to plant 73million trees in the Brazilian Amazon by 2023, reportedly the largest reforestation project on the planet.
Pearl Jam guitarist Stone Gossard said: “As a band, it’s important for us to recognise the environmental impact of our tours and do what we can to mitigate that.
“This Amazonia Live project is exciting because it helps to offset the CO2 we will emit with our Brazilian tour dates, while providing local employment and food security opportunities.”
CI Brazil’s Rodrigo Medeiros added: “We’re thrilled to partner with Pearl Jam in protecting the Amazon and spreading the message of its significance well beyond its borders. The Amazon benefits communities that depend upon it for their livelihoods as well as people across the globe. Twenty percent of the world’s freshwater supply comes from the Amazon, its forests provide thirty percent of the solution to climate change.
“Having a global artist like Pearl Jam join us in this effort is exactly what we need to keep people and the planet thriving.”
Pearl Jam have been actively involved in mitigating carbon emissions for the past 15 years. A statement outlining their ethos on their official website reads:
“Since 2003, Pearl Jam has calculated the metric tons of carbon dioxide output from the band’s world tours. Those calculations are based on band and crew flights and hotel stays, truck mileage, bus mileage, shipping weight (miles/mode of transport), and the number of fans attending each show.
“Based on this calculation, the band allocates a portion of tour profits to invest in environmental projects that serve to offset or mitigate carbon dioxide that was released into the atmosphere on tours.”
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