In an effort to counteract the negative environmental effects of the production of compact discs, several artists in the music industry have joined a campaign to neutralize the potentially harmful emission of carbon into the atmosphere.
Headed by Future Forests, an environmental preservation agency, the collaboration seeks to regulate the levels of carbon, a byproduct of compact disc production, in the environment.
Artists like Coldplay, The Pet Shop Boys, Gorillaz and Dido have pledged to plant the amount of trees necessary to counteract the amount of carbon released into the atmosphere by the mass production of their music in the form of compact discs.
"I think it's great that they are using their celebrity to better the environment," said Dan Leung, a fifth-year media studies major. "It's also great because, being a big name artist, that they realize that their success could take a toll on the environment, and support the environment by programs like this."
These efforts come after concern stemming from the '80s and early '90s, when the greenhouse effect was widely publicized as a prevalent cause for concern in reports on the environmental state of our world. The amount of carbon dioxide waste being produced greatly exceeds the amount of carbon dioxide that is reabsorbed through the photosynthetic process.
"We're not only adding carbon dioxide to the atmosphere, but we're taking away the pumps that help to balance the excessive levels," said Sanford Geffner, coordinator for the environmental studies program at UB.
The "pumps" are trees that convert carbon dioxide into oxygen through photosynthesis. Through the combination of the reduction of the amount of trees in the environment and the increasing amount of carbon production, the normal levels of carbon dioxide are becoming skewed.
Future Forests, on its Web site, states that the main source of concern in the global warming phenomenon is the increase in the global temperature caused by heat trapped from the sun as a result of carbon dioxide buildups.
Over the past 130 years, the Earth's temperature has increased .6 degrees Celsius. The projected increase over the next 100 years is 5.8 degrees Celsius. This seemingly minute increase in temperature could distort the balance of delicate ecosystems, changing everything from crop yield to water shortages to the increase of catastrophic natural events.
Nadine Dunn, a senior media studies major, said she would assist in the endeavor if there were a movement to bring this kind of program to UB.
"If it's better for the environment, then I'm all for it," said Dunn. "I don't know if (being) carbon neutral would change my decision, but it would be a definite plus to buying a CD."
Dunn said that if she were trying to make a decision between two bands, "the fact that the CD was carbon neutral would probably sway my decision to buy that CD."
"I would definitely have more respect for the artist, no matter what genre (they belonged to)."
Other students are taking a more definitive stance on the campaign for the more environmentally responsible production of CDs.
"I would make an attempt to purchase those CDs," said senior Ron Sprandel, a media study student.
Among the many facts and figures associated with the issue, it is clear that the excess emission of greenhouse gases in the environment is creating a lot of heat in the music industry.
"These are byproducts from our society. What really needs to happen is that the industries find better ways (to reduce the amount of excess carbon in the environment)," said Geffner. "It all begins with how we choose to live our lives."
The artists involved hope that their efforts will lead to a more equal balance of carbon and other greenhouse gases in the atmosphere, possibly reducing the effects of global warming.
"It's a positive idea, and I would like to see actual record labels supporting it, as opposed to just individual artists," said Leung.
For more information about the carbon neutral project, visit www.futureforests.com.
Photo: Wikimedia Commons
