Despite all data, disasters, and a generation taking to the streets, governments still fail to meet Paris Climate Agreement targets.   Even after numerous scientific reports, extensive media coverage we should have all got the message by now. Yet, it seems the magnitude of the climate crisis is so overwhelming, many prefer to ignore it.   So, we created a living composition that changes as our world changes.   To show the destructive effects of climate change, we took the most famous musical depiction of nature, Vivaldi’s Four Seasons and adapted it to the year 2050. The [uncertain] Four Seasons is an algorithmic re-composition of Vivaldi’s ‘The Four Seasons’. Developed by composers, musicians, climate and computer scientists using geospatial climate predictions for 2050. At the start of Youth and Public Empowerment Day at COP26 on November 5th 2021, we released the performances of 15 orchestras from across 6 continents – half of which are youth orchestras. The performances elevated the voices of young people in the ongoing movement for climate action, and place further pressure on leaders to sign the Leaders Pledge for Nature, and thereby commit to reversing biodiversity loss by 2030.

The performances paint a bleak future. In some cities, the Winter concerto is shorter. In others, motifs of rivers are drastically slowing in Spring. The flashing violin solos of Summer’s rare thunderstorms cloud the entire score in Venezuela. While in Amsterdam, musical notes imitating bird are disappearing in proportion to predicted species decline. Performed during a broadcast to over 17 million people on national television with further performances booked thru 2023, the response has been phenomenal.   With15 Youth Orchestras from six continents performing their variations to over 700 delegates and CEOs at Youth Empowerment Day at COP26 were amplifying the voices of a generation directly to those in power with one key message: Listen to the sound of climate crisis and act now to stop it.