Sounds of the Earth: How Music Builds Empathy in the Fight Against Climate Change
Written by: Anh Vo
In a world overwhelmed with data, graphs, and warnings, a haunting melody or swelling orchestral score can sometimes do what science alone cannot. Make us feel. As the climate crisis grows dire, a powerful yet effective psychological tool is starting to take shape in response: music. Whether in documentaries, performed live, or integrated with trendy modern-day songs, music plays an important role in helping climate change efforts. Its ability to make people feel, relate, and understand the need for a better planet is a true testament to music’s ability to help people empathize.
Music and the Emotional Brain
When we listen to a song that we like, our brains release a chemical compound known as dopamine (aka the same “feel-good” chemical). However, more than just pleasure, music can also activate areas responsible for feelings of empathy, memory, and visualization. These reactions make seemingly abstract issues, such as climate change, which are often perceived as distant or too complex, feel more urgent.
Take the 2016 climate documentary Before the Flood, for example. Composer Trent Reznor’s ambient, melancholy score partners scenes of melting glaciers and ravaged forests. This music doesn’t just make you sad, but its use of long sustained chords and rests allows you to feel the weight of the environmental loss as it’s happening on screen.
In the Netflix series Our Planet, the score by Steven Price turns the visuals of dying coral reefs in the “Open Ocean” episode into something deeply emotional. The soft and lingering chords that fade in and out effectively force the audience to pause, reflect, and feel the weight of what’s being lost. The episode then pans to the intense thrill of a dolphin pod racing against the strong current of the open ocean. Price immediately counters this scene by introducing a powerful orchestra number (“Numbers Build”) to showcase the pure strength of nature's animals. The beauty, fragility, and force of Earth’s biodiversity weren’t just shown, they were felt.
Similarly, songs like Billie Eilish’s “All the Good Girls Go to Hell” don’t just deliver catchy hooks but powerful messages. By touching on the subject of rising seas and burning California hills, the song synthesizes irony and pop to draw attention to the climate emergency. In addition, the pop hit “Apple Tree” sung by AURORA utilizes soft yet nasal-like vocals to convey the feeling of everlasting urgency when it comes to climate change. The song's use of percussion, clicks, sustained major chords, and a repetitive melody transforms the piece into a beautiful chant with a clear message of pushing for a better world.
Empathy is a precursor to action. People are more willing to act for a cause if they have an emotional connection to it. Music acts as this exact bridge between action and emotion.