How Can Music Help Us to Address the Climate Crisis?

Abstract

Musicians and music psychologists are acutely aware of the power of music and its ability to influence our emotions, moods, thoughts, wellbeing, identity, and behaviour towards others. Indeed, music is often used to help address specific problems, especially within health and wellbeing. The problem of climate change is becoming increasingly well-established in public discourse, and yet individuals frequently fail to act in an environmentally-friendly manner. Within the field of environmental psychology, several empirically-based theories have been developed to aid the understanding of why individuals behave in the ways that they do in relation to the environment. This article examines a selection of these theories, and makes an attempt to identify areas in which research in music psychology provides evidence to suggest that music could play a role in influencing environment-related beliefs and behaviours.