THE environment is not sexy material for a song, but it makes for good discussion, say entertainers who admit they will only sing about it if inspired.

“It’s a good discussion, but not a good topic for music,” noted Vegas, a singer who regained popularity with love and “daggering” songs. “People sing about what can generate hit songs and I don’t think people singing about the environment will be popular.”

Vegas has a point, as few songs speak on that topic. Chezidek’s post-millennium hit Leave the Trees is probably the most famous. In it, he argues that tree burning”destroy(s) the environment” and “bore(s) a hole inna di ozone layer”.

Singer Etana, like Vegas, doesn’t have any songs designed to raise environmental awareness, but she is not aversed to the topic.

“People don’t think about the ozone layer, they don’t think about global warming, or that their vehicle is smoking up the place,” noted the cultural songstress. “This affects us in a negative way and artistes could put songs out there to educate the people on the environment. I think it is important and would be a pretty interesting topic.”

Capelton has always taken an interest in climate change, argued manager Claudette Kemp.

“If people have been listening; he has been “burning” global warming, the ice age, other environmental issues,” said Kemp, adding that most of his eco-diatribe is live on stage. In War War, Capelton sings: “Nah go love Selassie sun nor Him moon yah/Dem nuh love fi see when di fruit trees all bloom”.

Dancehall swooner Christopher Martin may one day sing of trees as if they were ladies, “but you can’t force it”.

“You can’t force music and when you get a vibe and might sing about mother earth,” argued Martin whose make-up and break-up songs also tackle social issues.

Environmental songs tend to come from ‘cultural’ artistes argued Kingy, who manages Martin and mega star Shaggy.

“There are some artistes that are lovers and some who deejay about guns (and so on),” Kingy told Environment Watch. “Artistes write about things around them and things that affects them. Once a topic comes to the artiste and they realise it’s affecting them, then they will write it.”

Lloyd Lovindeer is an affected artiste, he recently penned Our Planet’s Aid, and has participated in an artiste workshop on the challenges of climate change. The song warns of rising global temperatures and sea levels and its impact on Caribbean flooding and disease. The song was played last month at a press conference, held at the National Environment and Planning Agency offices in Kingston, to bring the media up to date on the outcomes of the United Nations climate change conference in Poznan, Poland.

Excluding Chezidek, few artistes have dealt with the environment. For instance, dub poet Mutabaruka in Killing, has asserted that the deaths caused by pollution are not accidental: “Mek wi talk bout de killin’s/de killin’s dat dem neva mention/ killin’ was their intention/environmental pollution created by their so called solution”.

In Hello Mama Africa, Garnett Silk sings: “The sweetest things are there to be found/The golden sunshine/The wind blows around/The fresh vegetation which comes from the earth/Oh Mama Africa you make me know what life is worth”.

Chuck Fenda sings in All about the Weed: Inna mi garden gets mi tree then mi haffi sow/Pull mi win that waan mi marijuana tree a grow”.

Interestingly, Damian Marley uses the word pollution in at least two songs metaphorically. In It was written, he sings: Spiritual pollution is in the atmosphere/And with so much confusion. Can one be happy here?”. While in 10,000 chariots, he chants: “They are dressed in the same pollution/Their minds is confused with confusion”.

Climatologists argue that global warming, a critical feature of the changing climate, has been exacerbated by human action. Specifically, the increased use of fossil fuels like oil and coal has resulted in greater levels of greenhouse gases like carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, they say. This, coupled with the increased rate at which trees are being cut down to accommodate houses and other developments, has impaired earth’s ability to convert carbon dioxide into oxygen. The result has been warmer temperatures.