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By Chere Di Boscio
Rock music has a long history of philanthropy: Live Aid was one of the world’s highest profile concerts to raise money for those suffering from famine; U2’s Bono has dedicated his life to eradicating African poverty, and Rock Against Racism is an annual event in the UK. However, few rock stars have spoken out against one issue that is affecting us all more quickly than predicted–climate change– and even fewer seem to understand the physics of it. Matt Bellamy of the British rock band Muse is a rare and welcome exception.
In fact, when the frontman for the band named their sixth album The 2nd Law, he was referring to the second law of thermodynamics, which states that energy decreases in any closed system without a new injection of power. According to Bellamy, this is a perfect metaphor for the planet: ‘the Earth is open to the sun,’ he told Time Magazine in November, 2012. ‘But essentially, we are living well beyond the means of the sun by exploiting natural resources.’
The album features songs with provocative titles, like ‘Survival’, ‘Madness’, and ‘The 2nd Law: Unsustainable’, but his views on the energy crisis looming before humanity are perhaps clearest in the track ‘Explorers’, where he sings ‘Fuse Helium 3/ it’s our last hope.’
Not long ago, Bellamy became a father when his girlfriend, Kate Hudson, gave birth to his first child. This life-changing event has made Bellamy even more concerned about sourcing energy for the next generation. He is adamant that replacements for carbon based energy sources have to be found, but isn’t sure how this will be done: ‘Between now and the next album, hopefully there will be some answers to what’s going on in the world,’ he told Time. ‘An energy revolution has to be on the agenda soon.’
Unfortunately, recent talks in Doha didn’t suggest the future will look any cooler, and energy prices keep rising with increased demand and population growth. So what if that energy revolution never happens? The singer’s sense of British humour is still present behind his seriousness: ‘We’ll get out the acoustics and start strumming away,’ he chuckled.
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