A concertgoer's death amid extreme heat fueled by the climate crisis is sparking new questions about the superstar's responsibility to protect her fans.
Taylor Swift does have a huge platform and I do think that comes with a responsibility to at least talk about climate change. For the more immediate concern about extreme heat for any type of venue, I think it is obviously clear at this point that extreme heat needs to be treated like a hurricane approaching, like the article mentions. Whatever form that takes, legislation regulations etc, governments should be proactive about this now because it is only going to get worse.
Also thank you!!! both for your awesome reporting and have a great Thanksgiving!
Goodell's comments about weather-related event cancellations definitely ring true to me. As an avid concertgoer I've experienced multiple festivals end early or temporarily evacuate due to (the threat of) storms, rain delays push back event starts, and delays due to lightning. I recall Saturday of this year's Pitchfork Music Festival being in a lightning delay with blue skies overhead--it looked like a pop-up thunderstorm just off of Lake Michigan on radar--and security keeping the crowds away from the stages and metal equipment in case a stray bolt or wind gust caused something to drop from the sky and kill or maim someone. A friend told me the rule was that the event would stop for 30 minutes after a lightning bolt within 6 miles of the fest.
I've also spent weekends in 100+ degree heat throughout the day, also at Pitchfork, and while event staff clearly communicated warnings, safety tips, and distributed free water to attendees, there was seemingly no question the show would go on. Frankly, during extreme heat I and others have been far more concerned about our wellbeing and safety than during any other weather event, and I say this having spent 3 days dancing through Tropical Storm Ophelia-related weather this September in Philly.
Reading this article, and considering the risks of extreme weather are well-known and can be fairly accurately predicted a few days in advance, to the point that many festivals hire boutique forecasting services for this purpose (https://pitchfork.com/features/article/music-festivals-in-the-time-of-extreme-weather/), I find it hard to believe there isn't an industry standard rule for cancelling or delaying events for extreme heat like with lightning. It sucks to do so, and I can only imagine how much worse it might feel for a diehard Swiftie than a regular boutique festival attendee, but nobody should die at these events because of this.
So well said!! I was ranting about this to my partner last night but you articulated it so perfectly. Really appreciate the insight and quotes from Jeff Goodell, as well, and I'm happy to hear it was sent to Taylor's team- you never know what could start the conversation!
Thank you so much for this article. It feels comforting to hear these words from you both and Jeff Goodall, as I love TS, too, but so hope she'd say something, anything, especially as the whole world analyzed her and TK. Even just one IG post could unleash such momentum for climate action!!
Bharat Venkar's comment is absolutely terrifying. I know it's the truth, but it definitely knocked the out disassociation I've been feeling lately with the climate.
Great post as always. (And I’m not just saying that because my pup made Catch of the Day! Thanks! 😊) Goodell’s book is excellent, very accessible, a page-turner. Highly recommend. Here’s hoping Taylor Swift does use her mega-platform to stir up more climate action.
A taste of what is to come if we continue are our wasteful ways.
I was looking at clear day flooding and Texas has more than Florida. Still it is deny, deny.
What areas are most at-risk for sunny day flooding?
NOAA - Each coastal city is different: Miami usually experiences three to seven days of sunny-day flooding annually; Boston has been known to have 22 “Waterworld”-like days each year; and Eagle Point, in Galveston Bay, Texas, just set the record for 64 days of sunny-day flooding in one year.
New to your sight. Thank you for being here. May we rewrite a future together!
A major problem is that there’s no Story about how humanity actually, really does, turn climate, rewriting Our future. But The Story exists. Background goes like this: Earth is an ecosystem. Earth asks just one thing of each of us to hold balance, maintain comfortable temps and continue on ad infinitum. Be Who You Are. All living things do just this. What did you want to be at 7? What do you feel and long for after that first cold beer or hit of pot? That’s your answer. Your only job is to be that person and Contribute. Be who you are and contribute to life.
Earth is spiking a fever to kill the cancer that is Us, gone wildly rogue, abuse written into every aspect of privileged lives at this point. The Industrial Revolution turns out to have been a very bad idea. But it was a choice and we can choose to abandon it, choose to stop being the dis-ease that chasing ease for some became. Where we must go is where we have already been for centuries.
The dominant narrative that this life is the best humanity has yet attained is entirely false. And we are very literally, biologically WIRED to succeed. It’s called survival instinct. Following our hearts voice, instinct, is infallible because it’s driven by the need to survive, belong, contribute and live long. That’s how we got here. Not our brains but our individual creativity and capability shared as a species.
And, supporting Change the vast majority of humanity never “got” to abandon skill for abuse based living. Children don’t want ito be siloed into one area of interest natively. The younger we are we can Change on a dime. I wanted to live in trees and learn to speak animal languages. If that magic 3.5%, or whatever is, is all we need to turn climate, the vast majority of the world is already there waiting for us.
A massive paradigm shift is taking place but we haven’t noticed it yet. Those who have retained skills but lost acknowledged standing and dignity are about to become the wealthy again, while the wealthy, who have dispensed with skills to take ease, are about to become the most vulnerable population on Earth. Climate Change can’t be managed and safety can’t be engineered. Only individual skill to use, barter and trade have indisputable value where we are going. Capitalisms story is a fabric of fantasy. As climate anomalies worsen, only the deeply capable will survive.
Anyone can choose to go where we might still rewrite our future. A important truth is that climate change will force us to go there anyway, but painfully as part of total loss. The difference, in this moment, is that if we choose we have agency. If we hope others will lead the way, capitalism will take us where it always has. When each of us choose we are empowered, we get to do it our way, learning and enjoying our choices together beside friends and neighbors. Choose now and Own your future.
Here’s an idea to start with. What if we, who still can, stayed home for the next ten years. Wouldn’t we get bored and start building back community, relationships to place and the non hominid lives around us, and therefore care in all its deeply satisfying facets? The young are already leaving cities behind, looking for sweet, wholly individual lives to live before everything falls apart. What if we choose absolute simplicity, contributing every way that is native us, learning that labels are just a lazy habit, just differences among a species that is, like any other endlessly different species, endlessly unique?. What if we each do it our own way, and as we can?
Yes, the travel industry would collapse, but as it does all of capitalism can be let go of too. We’d all be rewriting the future, with sympathy for what all of us choose together to save our place on this singular, as far as we may ever know, planet.
We Can turn climate! And as Earth always does she/he will notice our commitment and turn with us to be the wind in our sails! Turn and Dive into who you wanted to be before you were asked to focus on one thing. Make Your Own Way beside and with those you love. Each of Us is our answer. We can rewrite our Future because we’ve already been there.
Taylor Swift said the word and 10s of 1000s of young people registered to vote. It would be great to suggest voting for climate leadership!
You are on the mark about celebrity's speaking about solving the problem of heat affected deaths around the world at events and concerts.
Taylor Swift does have a huge platform and I do think that comes with a responsibility to at least talk about climate change. For the more immediate concern about extreme heat for any type of venue, I think it is obviously clear at this point that extreme heat needs to be treated like a hurricane approaching, like the article mentions. Whatever form that takes, legislation regulations etc, governments should be proactive about this now because it is only going to get worse.
Also thank you!!! both for your awesome reporting and have a great Thanksgiving!
As I was reading, I kept thinking that this needs to be sent to Taylor’s team. Thank you for doing this! Happy to be a subscriber.
And if she took the lead, many others would feel safer following.
Goodell's comments about weather-related event cancellations definitely ring true to me. As an avid concertgoer I've experienced multiple festivals end early or temporarily evacuate due to (the threat of) storms, rain delays push back event starts, and delays due to lightning. I recall Saturday of this year's Pitchfork Music Festival being in a lightning delay with blue skies overhead--it looked like a pop-up thunderstorm just off of Lake Michigan on radar--and security keeping the crowds away from the stages and metal equipment in case a stray bolt or wind gust caused something to drop from the sky and kill or maim someone. A friend told me the rule was that the event would stop for 30 minutes after a lightning bolt within 6 miles of the fest.
I've also spent weekends in 100+ degree heat throughout the day, also at Pitchfork, and while event staff clearly communicated warnings, safety tips, and distributed free water to attendees, there was seemingly no question the show would go on. Frankly, during extreme heat I and others have been far more concerned about our wellbeing and safety than during any other weather event, and I say this having spent 3 days dancing through Tropical Storm Ophelia-related weather this September in Philly.
Reading this article, and considering the risks of extreme weather are well-known and can be fairly accurately predicted a few days in advance, to the point that many festivals hire boutique forecasting services for this purpose (https://pitchfork.com/features/article/music-festivals-in-the-time-of-extreme-weather/), I find it hard to believe there isn't an industry standard rule for cancelling or delaying events for extreme heat like with lightning. It sucks to do so, and I can only imagine how much worse it might feel for a diehard Swiftie than a regular boutique festival attendee, but nobody should die at these events because of this.
So well said!! I was ranting about this to my partner last night but you articulated it so perfectly. Really appreciate the insight and quotes from Jeff Goodell, as well, and I'm happy to hear it was sent to Taylor's team- you never know what could start the conversation!
Thank you again for another great article! I want to wish you both a Happy Thanksgiving!!
Thank you so much for this article. It feels comforting to hear these words from you both and Jeff Goodall, as I love TS, too, but so hope she'd say something, anything, especially as the whole world analyzed her and TK. Even just one IG post could unleash such momentum for climate action!!
Bharat Venkar's comment is absolutely terrifying. I know it's the truth, but it definitely knocked the out disassociation I've been feeling lately with the climate.
Great post as always. (And I’m not just saying that because my pup made Catch of the Day! Thanks! 😊) Goodell’s book is excellent, very accessible, a page-turner. Highly recommend. Here’s hoping Taylor Swift does use her mega-platform to stir up more climate action.
A taste of what is to come if we continue are our wasteful ways.
I was looking at clear day flooding and Texas has more than Florida. Still it is deny, deny.
What areas are most at-risk for sunny day flooding?
NOAA - Each coastal city is different: Miami usually experiences three to seven days of sunny-day flooding annually; Boston has been known to have 22 “Waterworld”-like days each year; and Eagle Point, in Galveston Bay, Texas, just set the record for 64 days of sunny-day flooding in one year.
Jun 7, 2023
Food and water insecurity is up next.
New to your sight. Thank you for being here. May we rewrite a future together!
A major problem is that there’s no Story about how humanity actually, really does, turn climate, rewriting Our future. But The Story exists. Background goes like this: Earth is an ecosystem. Earth asks just one thing of each of us to hold balance, maintain comfortable temps and continue on ad infinitum. Be Who You Are. All living things do just this. What did you want to be at 7? What do you feel and long for after that first cold beer or hit of pot? That’s your answer. Your only job is to be that person and Contribute. Be who you are and contribute to life.
Earth is spiking a fever to kill the cancer that is Us, gone wildly rogue, abuse written into every aspect of privileged lives at this point. The Industrial Revolution turns out to have been a very bad idea. But it was a choice and we can choose to abandon it, choose to stop being the dis-ease that chasing ease for some became. Where we must go is where we have already been for centuries.
The dominant narrative that this life is the best humanity has yet attained is entirely false. And we are very literally, biologically WIRED to succeed. It’s called survival instinct. Following our hearts voice, instinct, is infallible because it’s driven by the need to survive, belong, contribute and live long. That’s how we got here. Not our brains but our individual creativity and capability shared as a species.
And, supporting Change the vast majority of humanity never “got” to abandon skill for abuse based living. Children don’t want ito be siloed into one area of interest natively. The younger we are we can Change on a dime. I wanted to live in trees and learn to speak animal languages. If that magic 3.5%, or whatever is, is all we need to turn climate, the vast majority of the world is already there waiting for us.
A massive paradigm shift is taking place but we haven’t noticed it yet. Those who have retained skills but lost acknowledged standing and dignity are about to become the wealthy again, while the wealthy, who have dispensed with skills to take ease, are about to become the most vulnerable population on Earth. Climate Change can’t be managed and safety can’t be engineered. Only individual skill to use, barter and trade have indisputable value where we are going. Capitalisms story is a fabric of fantasy. As climate anomalies worsen, only the deeply capable will survive.
Anyone can choose to go where we might still rewrite our future. A important truth is that climate change will force us to go there anyway, but painfully as part of total loss. The difference, in this moment, is that if we choose we have agency. If we hope others will lead the way, capitalism will take us where it always has. When each of us choose we are empowered, we get to do it our way, learning and enjoying our choices together beside friends and neighbors. Choose now and Own your future.
Here’s an idea to start with. What if we, who still can, stayed home for the next ten years. Wouldn’t we get bored and start building back community, relationships to place and the non hominid lives around us, and therefore care in all its deeply satisfying facets? The young are already leaving cities behind, looking for sweet, wholly individual lives to live before everything falls apart. What if we choose absolute simplicity, contributing every way that is native us, learning that labels are just a lazy habit, just differences among a species that is, like any other endlessly different species, endlessly unique?. What if we each do it our own way, and as we can?
Yes, the travel industry would collapse, but as it does all of capitalism can be let go of too. We’d all be rewriting the future, with sympathy for what all of us choose together to save our place on this singular, as far as we may ever know, planet.
We Can turn climate! And as Earth always does she/he will notice our commitment and turn with us to be the wind in our sails! Turn and Dive into who you wanted to be before you were asked to focus on one thing. Make Your Own Way beside and with those you love. Each of Us is our answer. We can rewrite our Future because we’ve already been there.