Our climate music with a message – so far 45 climate songs – is produced by radio host and musician Mik Aidt for the Centre for Climate Safety and The Sustainable Hour with creative assistance from Atomic Intelligence.
We’d love to have your feedback! Have a listen to our 10 climate songs episode, or listen on this page, and then vote for your favourite songs.
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Play all songs in one go
Hours of climate music with a message. The songs included in this playlist appear more or less in the opposite order they were composed, with the newest one playing first:
- Prepare For Impact
- Force of Life
- New Relations
- Sustainable House Day
- What Makes Us Happy
- Butt Hunters Unite
- We Share the Sun
- Time to Wake Up
- Burn Baby Burn
- How Many More Must Die
- Let the Plants Move In
- Richer Than Before
- Hush Now Little One
- Learn to Listen
- Because Local Matters
- What Story Will We Tell
- Be Eco-nnected
- The Key of Empathy
- Symphony of the Shift
- Demand the Shift
- The Green Transition
- Builders of the Future
- Stand Up
- Climate Communities
- This Is the Time
- Sustainable Living
- We Are the Difference
- Play Your Part
- Vote the Difference
- Rising Voices
- Return Again
- Becoming Earth
- Reconnection
- Nuclear Power Play
- EV Smile
- Growing Houses Growing Hope
- Rising Tide
- Be Informed
- Collision Course
- Starting From Today
- I Heard It On The Sustainable Hour
- She Leads The Way
- This Is Our Day
- Put a Woman In Charge – Just Begin
- Taste for Zero Waste
Journalism songs
These climate songs are based on – and also feature interview audio segments from – our podcast interviews, as well as documentary audio clips, AI-narrated social media posts, statement excerpts from social media videos, etc. In short: these are 'journalism songs' – a different way of telling, and changing, the stories.
The songs are released under a Creative Commons licence, meaning you are free to download, play, and share them as much as you like – as long as they are not used for commercial purposes.
Our first music video
Select or download the songs separately
MOST RECENTLY ADDED
Force of Life | Lyrics
– A song that celebrates life’s wonder, courage, and love while calling us to stand united as a Force of Life. Inspired by the Danish author Tor Nørretranders. Premiered in the first episode of Force of Life.
New Relations | Lyrics
– A funky song about weaving fresh connections with Earth and each other, restoring love and life through new relations. Inspired by Ramandeep Sibia from Punjabis for Climate. Premiered in 566
Sustainable House Day | Lyrics
– A celebration of community, design, and carbon-free living on Sustainable House Day. Inspired by Ruth Blackhirst from Geelong Sustainability. Premiered in The Sustainable Hour no. 565
AGE OF CLIMATE BREAKDOWN
HUMANITY, CIVILISATION, COLLAPSE
The Key of Empathy | Lyrics
– A song about how compassion and empathy are central to the green transition, inspired by a linkedin-post by Lars Køhler and our interview with Belinda Baggs in The Sustainable Hour no. 552
THE GREEN TRANSITION
We Share the Sun | Lyrics
– A luminous song of resilience and community, turning crisis into renewal and shared light. Featuring Dale Vince and Bill McKibben. Premiered in The Sustainable Hour no. 562
Stand Up | Lyrics
– A fierce protest anthem calling us to rise, speak out, and ignite change, inspired by a Linkedin-post by Dani Hill-Hansen
Demand the Shift | Lyrics
– A call for consumer-powered action inspired by our 'Demand' segment in no. 550 which was inspired by a podcast episode by Gareth Kane: 'Demand: the one word that will save the planet'
ENERGY AND CLEANTECH
COMMUNITY, DEGROWTH, ENVIRONMENT, REGENERATION
What Makes Us Happy | Lyrics
– A song of tiny homes and huge hearts, where happiness is found in giving and community. Inspired by Andy Greig from Swift Tiny Homes. Premiered in The Sustainable Hour no. 564
Butt Hunters Unite | Lyrics
– An upbeat call to action encouraging Australians to hit the streets and beaches with tongs and buckets in hand. Inspired by Shannon Mead from No More Butts in The Sustainable Hour no. 559
DEMOCRACY
Because Local Matters | Lyrics
– A song for restoring trust and rebuilding democracy, inspired by Rob Eisenberg and his new Local Matters platform, featured in The Sustainable Hour no. 554
NATURE AND FARMING
Learn to Listen | Lyrics
– A poetic invitation to slow down, honour Country, and embrace the truth-telling and healing that Treaty and cultural respect require. Inspired by Yaraan Bundle in The Sustainable Hour no. 555
Return Again | Lyrics
– A new Earth Day anthem reflecting on our spiritual and ecological roots. Inspired by Margie Abbott's 2025 Earth Day speech in The Sustainable Hour no. 544
DEGROWTH TOURISM
INTERNATIONAL WOMEN'S DAY 2025
ZERO WASTE FESTIVAL
THE SUSTAINABLE HOUR
AI and music production: A new instrument in the human orchestra
OPINION / EDITORIAL - By Mik Aidt
When the automobile first arrived, it disrupted an entire industry. Horse-drawn carriage drivers lost their jobs, and many feared what this machine would do to the rhythms of everyday life. But the world didn’t end. People adapted. They found new trades, new roles, and new meanings in a world that had moved on.
A similar transition is unfolding today in the world of music, as artificial intelligence enters the creative space and reshapes what it means to be a musician.
We cannot “undo” the invention of AI. The genie is out of the bottle. The question is no longer whether we should allow AI to play a role in music production – it already does. The real question is how we, as humans, choose to respond.
Do we dig in our heels and resist the inevitable? Or do we explore – and challenge – what this new technology makes possible?
There are still people who ride horses, not because they have to, but because they love the experience. There are still photographers who make a living with their craft, even though billions of images are taken every day on smartphones. In both cases, the presence of new technology didn’t erase the old – it simply changed its role, its value, and its meaning.
Something similar is now happening with music. And it’s huge – because music plays such a vital role in our lives.
Young people studying to become musicians today find themselves standing at a crossroads. Many have yet to find their footing in the debate over AI-generated music. For some, the rise of machine-made melodies has intensified their desire to create deeply human, organic, and acoustic sounds. This is not a retreat, but a rediscovery – a call to amplify what is most irreplaceably human in music: emotion, vulnerability, improvisation, and soul.
And perhaps this is the crucial shift: AI does not have to replace us. It can refine us. It can provoke us. It can push us to ask: what is it that only humans can do?
There is a huge creative opportunity here. Never before in human history has it been so easy for someone to turn a feeling or a story into a song. With the help of AI tools, a teenager with no formal training can generate a melody, write lyrics, and produce a full track in minutes. It is nothing short of a revolution in access to the universe of music.
What once required an expensive recording studio and a team of professionals working for weeks or months is now possible to create on a laptop – even a smartphone – in minutes or a few hours.
This democratisation of music-making doesn’t have to lead to lower quality or creative laziness. On the contrary, it can liberate energy and imagination.
The invention of the Internet was seen from day one in the early 1990s as a threat to books, newspapers, CDs and FM radio. But today, 30 years later, few people can imagine life without it.
When technical barriers are removed, the focus shifts to intention and meaning. What do you want to say with your music? What story do you want to tell? How do you want people to feel?
Used wisely, AI becomes a new instrument in the human orchestra – not the composer, not the performer, but a powerful tool that expands what is possible. AI holds up a mirror, where we suddenly learn to appreciate our imperfect, human traits.
It can help you brainstorm chord progressions, generate backing tracks, or simulate the sound of rare instruments. It can be your sketchpad, your assistant, your laboratory for experimentation.
It is up to us – the musicians, the artists, the listeners – to ensure that this technology does not strip music of its humanity. That it does not become a race to the bottom, a flood of soulless content optimised for clicks.
The antidote is awareness, ethics, and creativity. It is staying curious about what AI can do, while remaining fiercely loyal to what only we, as humans, can feel.
If musicians turn their backs on AI, they risk becoming like those who refused to believe the car would ever replace the horse carriage. And when the road changes, being stuck in place is the most dangerous thing of all.
So musicians, don’t bury your heads in the sand. Raise your eyes to the horizon and ask: how do we make something beautiful, heartfelt and meaningful with this new reality?
When MP3s and online distribution suddenly replaced CDs, it didn’t end the music industry – but it transformed it dramatically. And as with every transformation, there is both loss and possibility. If we embrace this AI moment with openness and courage, we might just find that AI doesn’t steal something from us. It gives us something new: the freedom to reimagine what music is – and what it could be.
. . .
About this songwriting approach using AI:
I have been receiving a lot of feedback on these songs – some of it very positive, and some of it, frankly, quite negative. Still, I keep going. Because I learn a lot from it, and who knows, I might be onto something?
In these difficult times, this is an experiment in finding new ways to translate radio journalism into poetic messaging – something that speaks not just to the mind, but to the heart. I like to think of it as a new genre in the making: poetic journalism, or maybe just activist soul music for the mind and heart.
It is vulnerable work. And that is probably why it draws both applause and resistance. But hey – that’s how new things often begin.
Our song playlist on Youtube
→ The Sustainable Hour's playlist on Youtube
→ Share our climate songs on Facebook
RELATED
→ ArtsHub - 15 July 2025:
The Velvet Sundown: AI-generated band stirs controversy across global music industry
"With millions of streams and a viral retro image, The Velvet Sundown has reignited global debate over AI music, raising serious concerns for Australian artists."
→ Gareth Kane, Terra Infirma - 16 June 2025:
Do we need a Climate Elvis?
“Who wants to step up and be the iconic figure that changes everything?”
→ Andy Masley @ Substack.com - 28 April 2025:
Why using ChatGPT is not bad for the environment - a cheat sheet
"The numbers clearly show that discouraging individual people from using chatbots is a pointless distraction for the climate movement."
→ Microsoft - 29 November 2023:
Report: 'Accelerating Sustainability with AI: A Playbook' (PDF)
"AI is an essential tool for accelerating sustainability. Given the urgency of the planetary crisis, society needs to push harder on the AI accelerator while establishing guardrails that steer the world safely, securely, and equitably toward net-zero emissions, climate resilience, and a nature-positive future."
AI-generated climate music by N.O. in Denmark
AI-generated climate music projects
Explore some creative AI-generated music projects that address climate change and environmental issues:
A collection of AI-generated tracks focusing on themes like environmental destruction and societal oppression, aiming to inspire change and unity.
AI Music for Climate Action
Features 77 tracks encompassing genres like eco-pop and environmental folk, each promoting sustainability and climate awareness.
An AI-reimagined version of Vivaldi's The Four Seasons, adjusted to reflect projected climate data for Seoul in 2050, highlighting the impacts of climate change.
An immersive sound installation combining AI-reconstructed calls of extinct animals with Björk’s narration, emphasising biodiversity loss and environmental concerns.
From Green to Red by Beatie Wolfe
A dynamic visualization of 800,000 years of atmospheric CO₂ data set to music, serving as an environmental protest piece showcased at various global events.
Create your own climate-themed AI music
You can try generating your own songs or singing voices with one of these platforms:
This page was published on 27 February 2025
What a fantastic initiative! Using music to convey climate messages is a brilliant and engaging way to reach wider audiences. I’m eager to listen to the songs and vote for my favorites. The ‘journalism songs’ concept is particularly intriguing, offering a fresh perspective on environmental storytelling. I wonder if incorporating visual elements, like animated lyrics videos, could further amplify the impact?