Climate concert in Dubai to highlight 'urgency of a planet in dissonance'

An upcoming climate concert, named Resonance, will bring together multiple voices from across the globe to raise awareness about the "urgency of a planet in dissonance - that must be healed for humanity".

Hosted by San Francisco based non-profit BayEcotarium jointly with United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD), the musical event will take place on December 6 in Dubai Opera, during the United Nations COP28 Climate Summit scheduled to be held in UAE from November 30 - December 12.

"Music transcends geopolitical and linguistic boundaries and is the soul of civil societies. The Climate Concert is the coming together of multiple voices from around the world during the historic UNCOP28, in solidarity with combating climate change. Aptly named Resonance- its intent is to bring awareness to the urgency of a planet in dissonance - that must be healed for humanity," George Jacob, president and CEO of BayEcotarium, told PTI.

The event will see live performances by multiple Grammy winning artists, including founder and drummer of The Police band, Stewart Copeland, who will be performing multi-platinum hits in orchestral renditions (Police Deranged) with Dubai-based Firdaus all-female Orchestra.

UN Goodwill ambassador and three-times Grammy winner Ricky Kej will open the evening with a musical tribute to climate change mitigation and global peace. Featured appearances would include Anuradha Juju Palakurthi and Tariq Qureishy.

Jacob said while the BayEcotarium is a science-based organisation, they were compelled to leverage music as the unifying force for the cause of nature conservation.

"Everything from the venue, technical requirements, musical composition, visual backdrops, sequence of music and speeches requires tremendous coordination especially given the 12 hour time difference between Dubai and San Francisco.

"While we are a science based organization that rarely holds concerts of this scale, we felt compelled to leverage music as the unifying force that resonates with the hearts and minds of all. Climate awareness is key to sustainable Climate Action," he said.

The BayEcotarium is currently setting up the world's largest climate and ocean conservation living museum in San Francisco, transforming the 27-year-old Smithsonian affiliated Aquarium. This year, the organisation, also marks the 42nd anniversary of its mission of environmental advocacy, ocean conservation and climate resilience.