Radiohead is teaming up with MTV to raise awareness about child slavery and sex trafficking. In their new video, All I Need,  we see a split-screen view of the lives of two boys — one in white suburbia and one in an Asian sweatshop. The message: some things cost most more than you realize.

Thom Yorke admits this was a risky move for MTV to make on a purely advertising level. Thom says: “With the (’All I Need’) video, their lawyers had to beg to make sure there wasn’t a single white trainer with a logo on it because the implication would be a little too close. But the implication is still there.” 

Check out the video below.

Conan O’Brien invited the group to play on his show last night, but Thom Yorke and the gang decided the planet would be better off if they didn’t all get on a plane and fly across the Atlantic for the gig. So instead, they decided to compromise by jamming via satellite — something that aligned perfectly for NBC’s Green Is Universal initiative happening all this week. From the BBC,

“The band have been long time campaigners on green issues with Yorke recently guest editing The Observer Magazine to promote climate change awareness. Yorke also recently urged politicians to introduce sweeping measures to cut carbon emissions by 2020. ‘If we don’t get stuck in now, in 20 years’ time it will be worse and things will be more extreme,’ he said.”

Yorke also mentioned that by not flying to the gig in NYC, the band saved the equivalent pollution to driving a car for a whole year. Rock on, guys!

BBC via Green Daily

It’s been reported that Thom Yorke, front man of Radiohead, is launching the Friends of the Earth’s Big Ask Europe campaign to help Europe cut down on her carbon emissions. The Big Ask campaign combines Friends of the Earth groups from 17 countries who want the European Union to set legally binding emission reductions of 30 percent by 2020 and 90 percent by 2050. 

Could this work? I think so. Previously, Friends of the Earth passed the Big Ask in the UK proposal, which secured a highly anticipated climate change law, that once put into effect, will make the UK the first country to set legally binding targets for cutting greenhouse gases.  

Yorke, who also participated in the UK proposal said: “We will never wake from the nightmare of climate change unless our national governments and the European Union act. They are the only ones who can put the structures in place that will help us tackle climate change. By committing to annual cuts in our emissions at a national and European level we can play our part in tackling climate change and set an example to the rest of the world to follow.”

I’ve said it once and I’ll say it again: You Brits sure know how to party green. Thanks to Thom Yorke from Radiohead and Friends of the Earth for fighting the good fight and doing their part to help end climate change. Did you hear that? I believe Al Gore just shed a tear.