SHOUTS - Music from the Rooftops!

Seyðisfjörður bay in Iceland from up the mountains. Photo by Lode Van de Velde, who released the image under Public Domain license CC0 Public Domain.

The fight to preserve Iceland’s pristine wild fjords from industrial-scale salmon farming has gained the support of an unlikely ally, with the legendary Pearl Jam adding their voice to the growing fight against open-net salmon farming, a movement that is slowly gaining traction in the small island nation in the North Atlantic.

For several years, environmental groups and residents around Iceland have raised their concerns about the impact of open-net fish farming on the country’s marine ecosystems, which they claim are being polluted by the farms, causing disease in the country’s fish populations. Several cases of the farmed salmon escaping into the wild have also been documented, which can alter the genetic makeup of the country’s native salmon populations.

While the risk of damage to environments by farmed salmon that escape from fish farms, pollution, and parasites is a major cause of concern, new research also shows that large environmental impacts of farmed salmon in Iceland come not from the fish farms themselves, but from the global supply chain of ingredients used in fish feed.

The issue has become increasingly divisive, with a majority of the country’s residents opposing the growth of the industry.

This is not the first time that Pearl Jam has engaged in activism – the band has long been vocal about climate issues, including environmental activism, and has helped draw attention to issues that would otherwise not have been given much media coverage.

The battle against open-net fish farming in Iceland has already gained some high-profile support. Maybe the country’s most renowned musician, Björk, has previously helped raise funds for legal action against fish farming companies, bringing into focus the environmental risks that this industry poses.

The addition of Pearl Jam’s voice to this list of celebrity supporters of fish farming abolition is likely to bring this movement against fish farming in Iceland into greater focus worldwide. To the activists on the ground, gaining international support is of great importance.

The country’s fjords, considered some of Europe’s last remaining wild marine environments, are now on the frontline of this debate over how we can sustainably produce fish without sacrificing biodiversity.

According to a 2023 research paper, Iceland urgently needs better marine planning to battle both climate change and increased aquaculture. However, the current Marine Spatial Planning system (MSP) in the Westfjords is limited by weak public participation, a lack of transparency, and power imbalances that favor influential actors. To succeed, the system must become more inclusive, transparent, and proactive while addressing broader governance issues related to aquaculture regulation.

Eddie Vedder and Jeff Ament of Pearl Jam. Photo by vazzz – published under a CC BY 2.0 license.

Those who have followed Pearl Jam throughout their career know that they’ve always used their music and their collective voice to help others. And while Icelandic people were perhaps not expecting help to come from this direction, it is definitely greatly appreciated.

On their website, Pearl Jam write:

“We stand with the people of Iceland to end open net salmon farming and protect Iceland’s biodiversity and coastal ecosystems for future generations.

Sign the petition at LetsUndoThis.com to stand with the 63% of Icelanders who oppose sea cages and urge Parliament to strengthen the bill by adding three guardrails:

✔️ Phase out sea cages

✔️ Stop new sea‑cage licenses

✔️ Transition to closed or land‑based systems

Every signature and share helps secure a stronger future for Iceland and wild Atlantic salmon.”

In recent years, the world has witnessed the alarming consequences of climate change. From rising sea levels and extreme weather events to the loss of biodiversity, no corner of the globe has been spared. One country that has been particularly affected is Chile, a land of breathtaking landscapes, diverse ecosystems, and vibrant culture.

Chile’s unique geography spans across a vast range of ecosystems, including the Atacama Desert, the Andes Mountains, and the temperate rainforests of Patagonia. However, these natural wonders are under severe threat due to climate change. The rising temperatures and changing weather patterns have led to prolonged droughts in the central and northern regions of the country, including the Atacama Desert, one of the driest places on Earth. This has had a catastrophic impact on local flora and fauna, pushing many species to the brink of extinction.

Additionally, the melting glaciers in the Andes Mountains pose a significant challenge for Chile. These glaciers are not only a source of freshwater but also play a crucial role in regulating the country’s water supply. As they continue to shrink, Chile faces a severe water scarcity crisis, particularly in its agricultural heartland. Farmers are struggling to grow crops, and the lack of water has led to a decline in agricultural productivity, thus threatening food security for the Chilean people.

Black metal music is perhaps not the first thing that comes to people’s minds when you say environmental protest music, but in recent years, the musical genre has become more and more socially and environmentally conscious as bands around the world are using their music to raise awareness about rising fascism, animal rights or harm to the environment. The often very atmospheric music is a perfect fit for songs about the earth, its wonders and its pain.

One of these artists is a black metal project from Chile, called Ecologist, and the man behind it, simply called V, states that each song on the album represents a different ecosystem in his home country. I spoke with V about the new album and about the consequences him and his people are facing in Chile as a result of rising temperatures and sea levels.

You can follow Ecologist on Facebook and Instagram for updates about the music!

Halldór Kristínarson: Thank you for taking the time to answer a few questions. For those not familiar with your work, who is V and how did the Ecologist project come about? What is your musical background?

Ecologist: Thanks for the space for the interview Halldór. V. stands for the first initial of my name and I am the only member behind the environmentalist black metal project Ecologist.

The project came under the idea to explore ecology and environment with the music and writing of the possible demise of humanity under the circumstances of global warming, climate change and biodiversity loss.

My musical background is very diverse, but I‘m mostly into alternative rock and black metal, so some of the juxtapositions of the music are in between those main styles, sometimes managing to insert shoegaze in black metal, sometimes making „rock influenced“ passages, and other similar stuff.

Further compositions vary in style a lot though.

HK: What made you want to create an album represting the nature and ecological systems of Chile?

E: Nature contemplation is one of my main drivers to compose music. It might be most prevalent source of inspiration of atmospheric black metal bands, but I believe that my vision is of the [concern] of the risks and impacts that climate change can cause on it.

The idea of representing the Chilean Eco-regions was given by my love. I was wondering how I could represent different ecosystems through each compositions and the use of Chilean Eco-regions to exemplify them was her idea while discussing it. I chose some examples of places I knew and visited and made an investigation to elaborate the lyrics.

HK: Has your music always been in the form of protest or always included a socially or ecologically conscious message?

E: I believe it is more like a call to conscientize [about] the risks of nature and biodiversity loss. In Ecologist the main drive was to imagine a future where we could no longer exist because the climate conditions don‘t allow life as we know it.

HK: Why do you think music can be such an effective form of protest or activism?

E: Maybe because of the same reason in which black metal evocates nature and landscapes. Recognizing the beauty in nature, and understanding that the risk of loss is prevalent, might be the first step to try to address it.

“I believe that changing the mindset of other people and communicating might be the most powerful act that one can do.”

HK: What do you hope to achieve with your music?

E: Express my worry and disgust of the system we live in.

HK: What are some of your favorite places in Chilean nature that you‘d like to recommend to people?

E: There are many national parks that I love, but maybe one of the most beautiful places I‘ve ever been is the Torres del Paine. Most of Patagonia is simply astonishing.

The album cover for ‘reinos y ecoregiones’ (translated: kingdoms and ecoregions) by Ecologist out now on tape by Fiadh Productions. Cover photo was taken by V himself in Torres del Paine National Park in Chile.

HK: What projects do you have on the horizon?

E: Many, but I‘m having bit lack of time to execute them. For the nearest possible release, there might be an EP in 2024 and possibly I‘ll have the second album finished.

HK: Anything else you‘d like to shout from the rooftops?

E: It’s hard to take action in environmental issues world wide. We‘ve seen many efforts in diplomacy to establish effective measures to mitigate climate change, but still they are very mild. Each country faces different risks under climate change and Chile will face some of the worst due to its vulnerability to other existing risks. In Chile we‘re seeing deforestation, fires everywhere, over exploitation of resources, drought and many other impacts that will be even more enhanced by the rise of temperatures and sea level.

Which action is effective? Well, I still really don‘t know and I believe that changing the system is so hard that I feel a bit demoralized that we won‘t be even able to adapt and mitigate the risks. Everything you can do is a pro to mitigate and adapt, but I believe that changing the mindset of other people and communicating might be the most powerful act that one can do.