Pink Floyd guitarist's big donation to help fight climate change

Pink Floyd guitarist's big donation to help fight climate change

By Doug Donnellan  July 16th, 2019

David Gilmour, front man for the iconic English rock band Pink Floyd, has sold off 126 of his instruments in a record-breaking auction aimed at raising funds to address climate change.

Share

David Gilmour, front man for the iconic English rock band Pink Floyd, has sold off 126 of his instruments in a record-breaking auction in New York City. The proceeds all went directly to the non-profit, ClientEarth.

The organisation is “a charity that uses the power of the law to protect the planet and the people who live on it. We are lawyers and environmental experts who are fighting against climate change and to protect nature and the environment.”

In a tweet, David Gilmour quoted the 16-year old climate activist, Greta Thunberg, by saying “Either we choose to go on as a civilisation, or we don’t.” Gilmour continued, “The choice is really that simple, and I hope that the sale of these guitars will help ClientEarth in their cause to use the law to bring about real change.”

The venue hosting the auction, Christies, said in a press release that it was the “most valuable musical instruments sale in auction history.” Gilmour’s legendary black Fender Stratocaster, which was used to record many of the band’s most well-known albums, was originally priced at USD$150,000. One of the 2,000+ bidders attending the event (both online and in-person) purchased the guitar at the final price of USD$3,975,000 (over AUD$5.5 million). 

Pink Floyd has 2 albums that are on Business Insider’s top 50 best-selling of all-time list: “The Wall” (no. 6) and “Dark Side of the Moon” (no. 26).

“David Gilmour’s remarkable gift will support our work battling the climate crisis and protecting nature for future generations,” said James Thornton, the CEO of ClientEarth.

 

Positive Action

  • Consider donating to a non-profit like Planet Ark that is doing its part to help to fight climate change.
  • Help combat climate change by planting trees as part of National Tree Day! Register your event, or find one to join here.

 

Subscribe to Positive Environment News
Positive Environment News has been compiled using publicly available information. Planet Ark does not take responsibility for the accuracy of the original information and encourages readers to check the references before using this information for their own purposes.

Share

By Doug Donnellan

Doug joined Planet Ark's Information Centre team in April 2019 after completing a Master's of Sustainability. As a professional chef with his own catering business, Doug possesses a strong interest in food sustainability.

Stay up to date

Whether you're looking for positive inspiration at home, at work or in the community you’ll find something in our suite of e-newsletters.