Issue 8 community-assembled playlist

All we need is hope
And for that we have each other

This song fills me with strength and hope. Its lyrics remind us that, despite challenges, we can rise up again and again. It is a powerful reminder of the importance of solidarity and mutual support in difficult times.

Submitted by: Catalina Zapata

You wanna make your Hell a reality?
Black lungs for the young if they dare to breathe
Sure sounds like Heaven to me
You’ve gotta cut the roots to kill the weeds

Architects were a band I got into with my friends while in school, a good while ago, and existential dread of climate change could sometimes feel overwhelming. This song does a good job of recreating this feeling, but also feels like a call to action.

Submitted by: Anonymous

It’s a sweet worry
Where a heart is, is some worry
Where some worry is, is a heart

This Hindi one is about the spirited resignation that people are bound to care and hurt for that which they love. When I’m having a hard time justifying my limited awareness and impact in the face of overwhelming injustice of all kinds, this sentiment reminds me that idealism and solidarity are an unrelenting human force. There is beauty in knowing so many people care about a better world, even if the task seems incredilby contradictive and complex.

Submitted by: Lima Dastgeer

Well, I’m more than that
Well, I’m more than that

Justin Vernon from Bon Iver has shaped and influenced the music scene with his approach and emotional infused style of creating music and writing. His stance to social justice and nature conservation has always been interesting, as he knows the power of music can shape hearts. This song has almost like a therapeutic repetition to it, more of an inner energy of self healing. Justin talks about this song as one of his favourites in an interview with Zane Lowe – which puts a testament on the quality of this piece.

Submitted by: Ahsan

Singin’: ‘Don’t worry about a thing’
I won’t worry!

“Everything is gonna be alright” instills hope and calm. It is a hymn to the joy of life and reminds us that despite the challenges, everything is going to be alright. It is a song that comforts the soul and makes us believe in a better future.

Submitted by: Catalina Zapata

It’s such a great feel-good song that reminds me to take things easy and to make the process as enjoyable as possible and not focus on the size of the goal so much.

Submitted by: Anonymous

The song “Somos Instantes” makes me feel an urgency to live the present fully. His notes resonate as a reminder that life is fleeting and precious. It invites me to let go of fear and stress, embracing the philosophy of sustainable hedonism. It is a song that celebrates life and reminds us that every moment is precious and ephemeral.

Submitted by: Catalina Zapata

Somos instantes,
Un ratito nada más
Seres fugaces,
Que llegan y se van

(English)
We are moments,
Just a little while.
Fleeting beings,
That come and go.

This is a song from Eurovision 2022 that I loved (didn’t make it past the semifinals, though it should have!) – the campiness, the energy, the upbeat tempo. But also the message. I thought it was a great way to encourage sustainability to the wider European music community and in such an uplifting way. It also came at a time when my wife and I were spending time in Mexico City, so the whole Eurovision 2022 library has a special place in my heart, as it painted the time we spent there. It just makes me happy!

Submitted by: Michael J. Oghia

I ride my bicycle to work instead of a car
All of my groceries are divided by weight and stored in glass jars (Yeah)
Got my reusable bag
That swag, my flex, my flag
Zero waste, that is my jam
Save fuel and sell your truck

“Color esperanza” fills me with optimism and determination. Its lyrics inspire to believe in possibilities, to overcome fears and to embrace the future with hope in our hearts. It is a song that invites you to paint life with vibrant colors and to face challenges with courage and faith.

Submitted by: Catalina Zapata

Saber que se puede, querer que se pueda
Quitarse los miedos, sacarlos afuera
Pintarse la cara, color esperanza
Tentar al futuro, con el corazón

(English)
Knowing that you can, wanting to be able to
Take away your fears, take them out
Paint your face, color hope,
Tempting the future, with the heart.

A hymn of self-affirmation and self appreciation, the song conveys a message of deservedness and gratitude for life. The repetition of the mantra “I deserve it” (Me lo merezco) acts as a constant reminder that one is worthy of love, happiness and receiving all the good things life has to offer.

Submitted by: Catalina Zapata

Amor de verdad, me lo merezco.
Que todo salga bien, me lo merezco.
Lo bueno viene a mí,
La vaina se me da,
Hasta la vista al mar, me lo merezco.

(English)
Real love, I deserve it.
May everything go well, I deserve it.
Good things come to me,
The pod is given to me,
Even the view of the sea, I deserve it.

Sometimes when you learn about the impact that your past choices have made on the climate you can feel really guilty, and you can drown in the harms you feel you’ve created. This songs helps me get past that. Instead I think all I can do from here on in is act with love, and if I do that, and try my best to make things better perhaps I can. And perhaps a stable climate can be acheived and will stay, and those harms of mine from the past can be forgiven.

Submitted by: Hannah Smith

And maybe I’m paying for the things I’ve done
And maybe I’m paying for the ones I’ve hurt
But I feel a change in the love I’m given
I’m turning the page on my indecision
And maybe you’ll stay if I overcome
The highs and the lows and the rising sun
But I feel a change in the love I’m given
I’m turning the page now, am I forgiven?

Climate change is right here, right now. I am right here, right now. If not me then who? If not now then when? This song makes me feel like I can take on the world!

Submitted by: Chris Pointon

It brings on a wave of tranquility and a fragile kind of motivation. There’s a part of the song where the artist sings ‘I’m afraid to be here’ and still chooses to say ‘You can do anything’ in the chorus. In the climate space, we often have to hold opposites that are both true at the same time and still choose to persevere.

Submitted by: Anonymous

I have recommended this song because it makes us question our choices and reconsider our everyday actions. And that’s how it makes me feel at the same time – introspective and determined. I wouldn’t highlight any lyrics in particular, I think it’s better to listen to it as a whole masterpiece that it is.

Submitted by: Luka Boskovic

This song has been in and out of my life for years. At first, as a teen, it was an “I’m awesome!” song that boosted confidence and made me feel significant and powerful. As I’ve grown, it’s adopted new meanings as the ambiguous lyrics have taken root. It’s been on my running playlist and it played as I completed my first marathon last year. But as well as having the energy and power of a pop-punk tune that gets me active and moving, the lyrics speak of someone who recognises an impossible task in front of them, and recognises that they are imperfect and weak, and yet are motivated to continue to do everything they can as if the impossible were possible! It’s this attitude that I apply to the climate action I take. I know my efforts are small in the grand scheme of things, but small efforts for a cause that is worthy is a superhero move in a world where the default action is to shrug.

Submitted by: James Clarke

So here I am
Doing everything I can
Holding on to what I am
Pretending I’m a superman

But could I do more?
Yeah, I’m really not sure
I know I’m running circles but I can’t quit
And I’m so confused about what to do
Sometimes I wanna throw it all away

“I Am Light” by India Arie makes me feel empowered and connected to my essence. Her lyrics defy external labels and limitations, reminding me that I am more than my circumstances or mistakes. It inspires me to recognize the divine light within me and embrace my true essence. It is a song that celebrates authenticity and oneness with the universe.

Submitted by: Catalina Zapata

I am not the things my family did.
I am not the voices in my head.
I am not the pieces of the brokenness inside.
I’m not the mistakes that I have made.
Or any of the things that caused me pain.
I am not the pieces of the dream I left behind.
I am not the colour of my eyes.
I am not the skin on the outside.
I am not my age. I am not my race
My soul inside is all light.
I am devinity defined.
I am the god on the inside. I am a star.
A piece of it all. I am light.

I love listening to this song as it’s energetic, and really speaks to me about trying to find a way forward in the world of digital sustainability. I feel that sometimes the pointless adoption of tech is a runaway train that seems inevitable, and I wonder if we can really do anything about it. This song reminds to try despite that, this could be our time!

Submitted by: Hannah Smith

Call me cynical, but original
Tryin’ to fit into a world that’s so digital
Came to let you know
I left the pigeon hole
Now I gotta find an edge, won’t let it go
I don’t think twice
‘Cause I know my mind
This could be our time

We’re down to the wire

A pop banger with a message: the stakes are high, we keep talking about making changes for the better but we have to remain determined, focused and continue driving for positive change.

Submitted by: Sarah Humphrys

Cause when they own the information, oh they can bend it all they want.
One day our generation is going to rule the population

This is a song about struggle and hope, how systems need to change. How world leaders are doing wrong, but I’d like to think there is hope to how we can rise and beat it. The style of track has a ‘Marvin Gaye – What’s going on’ influence which gives us a sad reminder of the state of the world. But for me Mayer’s track has more of a positive feeling about it as it finishes with ‘one day our generation is going to rule the population’.

Submitted by: Ahsan

This song makes me feel good, because it has a lot of empathy with the person who hears it, in my case in my moments where I felt sad or just low spirits because things were not going well. It invited me to take things calmly and embrace my sad mood to know that it’s ok to feel bad and that things can change. Learn to be resilient.

Submitted by: Stephany Carrasco Sardon

Y mientras me curo del corazón
Hoy salgo pa’l mar a aprovechar que hay sol
Está bien no sentirse bien, es normal, no es delito
Estoy viva, más na’ necesito
Y mientras me curo del corazón
Hoy salgo pa’l mar a aprovechar que hay sol
Está bien no sentirse bien, es normal, no es delito
Y mañana será más bonito

Dreamlike, thoughtful, imaginative.

Submitted by: Alexander Liss

Look past the dying trees
Beyond waterless seas
Atop the horizon, adjacent to the sun
Give my word that’s there
Magenta Mountain

It’s not a very upbeat song, but when I hear it it makes me think of how future generations will look back on how we responded to the climate crisis and makes me more determined to create positive change within our lifetimes.

Submitted by: Michelle Barker

The hour is late, they’re closing in,
It’s high time that we begin
This whole planet could go up in flames tonight
And your small talk is just about killing me here

For me, this song perfectly encapsulates the feelings of frustration that come from knowing that there are so many ills in the world but feeling like everyone else is content to ignore them, and in fact are being trained to look the other way.

Submitted by: Anonymous

Everyone’s dead
But that was in the future
While you’re alive
Just contemplate your duty
To the Screen in your hand
Eventually will destroy ya

The song “Blue (Tiny Blue Planet)” transports me to a state of deep reflection, as its lyrics evoke the transience of human existence in the vast cosmos, reminding me of our smallness in the universe. It is a hymn to the love of the tiny, a reminder of our connection to the universe and to each other.

Submitted by: Catalina Zapata

Everything happens in an instant,
A little tiny dot, a tiny grain of sand,
A speck of dust from the universe.
Everything happens in an instant.
The cosmos say that we are the
shooting stars.

Blue, little tiny planet blue,
Where our people live,
And you are living too…oh
Blue, the point of view is up to you, you, you.

You see, war is not the answer, for only love can conquer hate
You know we’ve got to find a way to bring some lovin’ here today

Probably one of the key tracks that captured the zeitgeist, but keeps coming back as we see ourselves in the same positions 50 years later. Song about awareness, struggle and hope. The 50 year anniversary visual video is a good watch, gives hope that love can heal and change the way we approach problems.

Submitted by: Ahsan

Matisyahu’s “One Day” fills me with hope and optimism. His lyrics inspire a future of equality and peace, where violence and hatred are a thing of the past. It envisions a world where we are all free and united under the sun, singing hymns of freedom. It is a song that invites us to believe in a better tomorrow and urges us to work for it.

Submitted by: Catalina Zapata

One day, this all will change,
treat people the same.
Stop with the violence,
down with the hate.

One day, we’ll all be free
and proud to be
Under the same sun,
singin’ songs of freedom like “One day”

It really inspires me to think about change as something I can decide on and effect.

Submitted by: Emilio

There’s sun and rain in your road
But it doesn’t matter, it doesn’t hurt
You still think and that’s better than nothing
Everything you can be
Or nothing

It’s always reminded/inspired me about the fundamental challenge(s) we face and the line “you’re unsustainable” can be projected at different things/obstacles.

Submitted by: Oliver Cronk

All natural and technological processes proceed in such a way that the availability of the remaining energy decreases. In all energy exchanges, if no energy enters or leaves an isolated system, the entropy of that system incre,cre,cre,cre,c,c,creases. Energy continuously flows from being concentrated, to becoming dispersed, spread out, wasted and useless. New energy cannot be created and high grade energy is being destroyed. An economy based on endless growth is… Unsustainable!

I’ve always felt this song helps me to explain the conflict I feel in working on climate action. I feel threatened by climate change, but I also feel compelled to help with it. I’d really rather keep my hood up and ignore the work that needs to be done, and leave it to someone else to fix. But instead, I try to choose to help get us out of this place and try and make it better. It’s another way of saying “If not me, who?”.

Submitted by: Hannah Smith

What if the very thing that threatens you, is the very thing that beckons you
Roll up your sleeves, pull down your hood
Why do all the bad things feel so good?
Cos’ there’s only one way, one way to fix it
One way, one way to make it better
One way to get out of this place if you want it

Warms my heart.

Submitted by: Rok Meglič

Redki ljudje so, še takšni kot ti
vsem se neskončno mudi
Ti me poslušaš v tišini
začutiš stvari
ki jih srce govori

(English)
Rare people are, still like you
Everybody is in an endless hurry
You listen to me in silence
You feel things
That the heart speaks

Birthplace is a beautifully delicate song that reminds me of my home village surrounded by green forests and thick mists. It reminds me of my connection to nature growing up and inspires me to keep those environments alive and thriving. The music video also speaks toward the problem of oceanic plastic pollution and protecting our oceans. Novo Amor has often taken pro-environmental stances with his music which I also connect with.

Submitted by: Anonymous

This song was played to us after the 3-hour long training with Al Gore about climate change. It still gives me goose bumps. It’s even stronger if you watch the clip on YouTube. Makes me want to fight for the future each time I listen to it.

Submitted by: Marketa Benisek

I could tell you I’m immune to everything
But that’s a lie
Dust don’t turn to flowers
Skies don’t disappear
But I’ve seen truth to power
Oh, if you could see me the way I see you
If you could feel me the way I feel you
You’d be a believer

Let me see the colts that will run next year
Show them to a gambling man, thinking of the future

This song brings me a feeling of hope for the future and future generations, and a desire to keep making change for the better. It seems a daunting task and easy to get bogged down in the cold details, but thinking about ‘the colts that will run next year’ (literally, and figuratively – my daughters’ generation) helps to keep reminding me why we’re doing it.

Submitted by: Neil

The song is hopeful, uplifting, and positive.

Submitted by: Anonymous

Freedom rise, a whisper in my soul,
breathe life into me.
In the daydream of our yesterday,
lost is now found
Ray of light to the heart of the sun.
Million ways to the heart of the sun

It makes me feel connected to my surroundings, like everything is going to be okay because there are already so many beautiful things in us and around us.

Submitted by: Anonymous

When you feel love coming down on you
Like a heavy wave
When you feel this crazy society
Headin’ to the strand
Take a straw to the nearest waters
And remember your place
Many moons have risen and fallen long, long before you’ve came
So which way is the wind blowin’
And what does your heart say?

Xiuhtezcatl’s story and enduring work as a youth/young indigenous North American climate activist urges action in the face of hopeless-feeling odds and a whole-planet perspective.

Submitted by: Anonymous

While the walls fall and the world burn
Seas rise and the clock turn
The earth fighting back with hurricanes
And the earthquakes and the pouring rain
This is for every life lost
For the legacy of Standing Rock
For the sacred land that we desecrate
The trauma my people still carry today…

Yes I’m broken, the world is too, that’s how it is
But things have to fall apart
to be reborn as more than this
I believe that the world can be
more than what it is
I believe all the loss we’ve felt
will teach us how to give
I look back at our ancestors
and how they used to live
In balance with the planet,
that’s how we’ve got to live
With love being the compass
that guides the way, leads us home