Thom Yorke says he would consider refusing to tour over climate

Thom Yorke has told The Guardian that the way tours are put together now is a ridiculous use of energy. I would consider refusing to tour on environmental grounds, if nothing started happening to change the way the touring operates.⁴ The paper reads it as a threat to stop playing far-flung places unless something is done to cut carbon emissions.

He gave the interview yesterday for the Big Ask, Friends of the Earth's campaign for a law in next month's Queen's Speech that would require a cut in carbon emissions every year. Two days ago he urged fans to back it on radiohead.com, in the post that said the band have properly started their new record.

Playing live is a necessary part of his work, he says, but he finds its consequences unacceptable. Some of Radiohead's best shows have been in America, and there's 80,000 people there and they've all been sitting in traffic jams for five or six hours with their engines running to get there, which is bollocks.⁴

The tours will go on, he admits, because the others in the band do not feel as strongly, and raising it makes him feel a prat. Unlike the Rolling Stones and Coldplay, Radiohead do not offset the carbon from their tours, because they doubt such schemes do any good.

He would like to cross to America by ship, but has been told a ship burns as much carbon, and long-haul flights feel wrong to him. I'm trying to figure out a way of getting to Japan by train. I quite fancy that Trans-Siberian whatsitsname but apparently it's a bit scary.⁴