London’s O2 Arena removes 500 tonnes of carbon from The 1975 gigs in world first

The operators of London’s O2 Arena have said that over 500 tonnes of residual carbon were extracted during The 1975‘s recent “carbon-removed” shows at the venue.

The Manchester group’s four dates at the cavernous London venue in February have been hailed as the world’s first large-scale concerts to be green-conscious.

According to owners AEG Europe, carbon removal experts CUR8 and sustainability experts A Greener Future joined forces to use a selection of methods – including biochar and rock weathering.

An official release further explains that the pilot saw the extraction of 136.46 tonnes of residual carbon per show, which equates to 545.9 tonnes across the four shows. This, in turn, is the yearly equivalent electricity usage of 395 average homes. 

AEG Europe Director of Sustainability Sam Booth has said: “With the success of this world-first pilot series of arena events, we’ve proven that it’s possible to run an arena-size live show which doesn’t compromise on a great fan experience but still accounts for the impact it has on the environment.”

“We hope this serves as a wakeup call to the wider industry that carbon removals are a viable solution that can be used to operate live events, but they need buy-in from everyone in the live ecosystem in order to be a success – from venues and promoters right the way through to artists themselves.”

“We’re fully committed to continuing to innovate and find even more ways to make our world-class events across AEG Europe more sustainable, as we strive for a low-carbon future for the live industry,” he added.

The 1975 have also been outspoken environmental champions in the past – encouraging fans to plant trees and even creating a charity t-shirt in support of climate change organisation Music Declares Emergency.

Frontman Matty Healy also previously described Greta Thunberg as “the most punk person” he has ever met.