[ECO]Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour: Assessing the Environmental Impact

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Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour: Assessing the Environmental Impact

Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour has captured the hearts of millions, showcasing her evolution as an artist over 10 albums and more than 15 years of music, delivering unforgettable performances. The tour’s elaborate themes, surprise performances, and engaging stage presence have captivated audiences worldwide. From picking album-specific outfits, guessing surprise songs, and celebrity spotting at the venue, this tour has been incredibly popular among long-time Swifties and new Taylor Swift fans alike. Fans eagerly anticipate each show, often travelling great distances to witness the spectacle. However, beyond the glitz and glamour, it’s essential to examine the environmental impact of such a massive undertaking.

The Carbon Footprint Controversy

In recent years, the discourse surrounding Taylor Swift’s environmental impact has largely focused on her private jet usage, with emphasis on the significant carbon emissions associated with both long flights and short trips. Taylor was reported to have the

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among celebrities in 2022, amounting to 8,293 tonnes of CO2—1,100 times higher than the average person’s annual emissions. While this data is not verified, and her team reported that many of these flights were not taken by Taylor herself, this still highlights a substantial environmental concern.

Reports detailing this massive carbon footprint have only intensified since the start of the Eras Tour, sparking debates on her responsibility to mitigate this environmental damage. The extensive travel required for a global tour like the Eras Tour is a significant source of carbon emissions. Private jets, tour buses, and freight transport for equipment all contribute to the tour’s carbon footprint.

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alone, her tour produced an estimated 1,184 tons of CO2, not including the fans’ travel emissions.

Concert venues consume a substantial amount of energy, from lighting and sound systems to air conditioning, further contributing to the tour’s overall environmental impact. The cumulative effect of 152 shows across 54 cities spanning five continents further amplifies this issue for this

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. Additionally, venues generate a significant amount of waste, including single-use plastics from concessions, merchandise packaging, and promotional materials. Each Eras Tour attendee receives a wristband containing an LED light that illuminates with the music. Although encouraged to recycle, many of these bands are disposed of in the garbage and not reused. Many venues still lack comprehensive recycling programs, exacerbating the issue. Managing this waste is therefore a logistical challenge and contributes to environmental degradation. 

Moreover, the infrastructure required to support large crowds, such as transportation to and from the venue, also has environmental repercussions. Traffic congestion and the associated emissions from thousands of vehicles can lead to increased air pollution in host cities. The need for adequate parking, security, and sanitation services further compounds the environmental footprint of large concerts.

The carbon footprint associated with fans travelling to see the show is also significant. With tickets to the Eras Tour being notoriously hard to get, millions have resorted to air travel to experience the tour in person—emissions that might not exist otherwise. Fans also seek the perfect concert outfits to fit their favourite album, and often buy tour merchandise at the venue, contributing to the fast fashion crisis and the growing amount of waste associated with concert tours.

A Broader Industry Problem

It is important to acknowledge that the environmental issues discussed are

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. Excessive private jet usage, concert venue waste, and the associated impacts of concert tours are prevalent across the entertainment industry. The Eras Tour is not the first global tour where fans travel internationally to see their favourite music played live, and it will not be the last to contribute to significant emissions. These issues reflect a broader industry problem, where many celebrities contribute to substantial carbon emissions through similar practices.

In the ******* States,

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from flights can be traced to the top 1% of air travellers, largely composed of celebrities and musicians. For instance, Taylor Swift was not even ranked within the Top 20 celebrities on

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in 2023, with many other notable celebrities appearing on the list. This underscores the need to hold a myriad of celebrities accountable for their carbon footprint in an industry marked by excessive emissions and environmental impact. These examples highlight a widespread issue within the entertainment industry, where the environmental impact of celebrity lifestyles often goes unchecked.

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Taylor and her dancers during the finale of the Eras Tour. Credit: Paolo Villanueva

Taylor Swift’s Efforts Toward Sustainability

While recognizing the environmental impacts of The Eras Tour, it’s important to acknowledge the positive impacts Taylor Swift and her team have made throughout the tour. For example, Taylor has made significant donations to food banks in various cities where she performs. While performing in the ******* Kingdom, Taylor made discrete donations that covered over 10,800 meals in

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, and enabled a food bank to cover a year’s worth of meals in

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. These donations help alleviate hunger and support local communities. By leveraging her platform, Swift raises awareness about food insecurity and encourages her fans to contribute to similar causes. Her actions demonstrate how celebrities can use their influence for social good.

Another commendable aspect of the Eras Tour is Taylor Swift’s commitment to fair pay. She ensures that everyone involved in her tour, from crew members to backup dancers to transport truck drivers, receives fair compensation. This commitment extends to ethical practices, including providing a safe and respectful working environment. In 2024, she paid

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, setting a high standard for fair labour practices in the entertainment industry. By setting high standards for how her tours operate, Swift promotes fair labour practices within the entertainment industry, which is an integral part of

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within the industry.

Lastly, Taylor’s team has created “The Eras Forests”, an initiative that hopes to partially mitigate the environmental impact of her Eras Tour. This program involves large-scale tree-planting projects designed to offset the carbon emissions generated by the tour. Since its inception, Eras Forests has planted thousands of trees in various locations, with the goal of absorbing significant amounts of CO2 over the trees’ lifetimes. Early reports indicate that the Eras Forests have made a positive impact, although ongoing efforts and expansions are needed to fully counterbalance the tour’s extensive carbon footprint.

The Influence of Taylor Swift 

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hold immense power and influence over their audience. For example, when Taylor called on her fans to register to vote in the ******* States, there was record-breaking traffic on registration websites. While Taylor Swift cannot “fix” climate change, this call-to-action exemplifies how her actions and voice have the power to create change – and that is something to be vocal about.

Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour exemplifies the dual nature of large-scale entertainment events. On one hand, it brings joy to millions, boosts local economies, and supports communities. On the other hand, it poses significant environmental challenges, particularly in terms of carbon emissions and waste. By acknowledging both the positive and negative impacts, we can better understand the complexities of sustainability in the entertainment industry. Moving forward, continued efforts to minimise environmental impact and promote sustainability are essential for the future of concert tours.

If you’d like to read more about environmental impacts of the music industry, with a spotlight on concert merchandise, check out

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