In late November the World Bank presented a new scientific report showing that the world is barreling down a path to hear up by four degrees at the end of the century if the global community fails to act on climate change. This might lead to extreme heat-waves, declining global food stocks and a sea-level rise affecting hundreds of millions of people.
And just a few days ago the two week long UN conference in Doha, Qatar, came to a close and the talks wound down with few major issues being resolved and there were for instance no agreement on the key issues of financing and carbon permits. The overall feeling from most countries was disappointment, especially the lack of engagement by the U.S.
Rich and poor countries have different agendas and it’s obviously hard to agree on a common goal and how to reach it.
But for reggae and soul singer Toussaint it’s simple – if the earth dies so do we. His latest album Dear Mama Earth – produced by Brian McKenna – has perfect timing and he calls for a change in the way we live and exploit the earth and its resources.
Dear Mama Earth is an earth-conscious and soulful suite of music that mixes reggae, vintage soul, neo soul and hip-hop with fine results, and Toussaint’s rich voice and vocal versatility suit the smooth production nicely, and he sounds convincing when he sings about taking action to heal the earth by making both small and big changes in everyday life and in society. Energy consumption, energy conservation, renewable resources, global warming and wasteful habits that affect our planet’s sustainability are some of the topics he touches upon.
Dear Mama Earth has a distinct vintage feeling, but is at the same time very modern, and I guess messages about mankind’s relationship with the planet never go out of style.
Reggaemani 