LYRICS
Do the North and West
Know what’s best?
Do the South and East
Know the least?
If you ask me
The only certainty
We failed the test
Can you see?
One family
Does the global North
Hold the worth?
Is the global South
All just mouth?
If you ask me
The only certainty
We failed the test
Can you see?
One family
Do we know up and down
Spinning ’round?
What makes East or West
Beat the rest?
If you ask me
The only certainty
We failed the test
Can you see?
One family
- North-vs-South-Part-I.mp3 (unplugged to conserve energy)
- North-vs-South-Part-II.mp3
- North-vs-South-Part-II-Instrumental.mp3
- North-vs-South-LH-Casio-WK-3500.MID (Left Hand / also controlled Korg PS60)
- North-vs-South-RH-Yamaha-PSR-740.MID (Right Hand / also controlled microKorg and miniNOVA vocorder)
Chords: Bbm F/m / Db F / F Bb / C F Bbm; Part II Trip-Hop-Samba @ 106 Beats Per Minute
Instrumentation: Vocals (TC-Helicon VOICELIVE and MiniNova Vocorder), Ibanez Acoustic Guitar (AW54CE), Ibanez Electric RG-270 (Boss Digital Delay), Fender Jazz Bass (Boss Digital Delay), Keyboards (Korg PS60, Casio WK-3500, Yamaha PSR-740, MiniNova, MicroKorg)
ABOUT THE SONG
These lyrics convey a reflection on the collective responsibility for climate change and the shared impact on humanity as a whole.
The lyrics begin by questioning whether certain regions (North and West vs. South and East) are more knowledgeable or responsible when it comes to addressing climate change. The suggestion is that, in reality, no specific part of the world has proven to be superior or inferior in dealing with the challenges.
The recurring theme of “We failed the test” implies a shared culpability, emphasizing that all parts of the world, regardless of their geographic location, have fallen short in addressing and mitigating the effects of climate change. The concept of “One family” underscores the interconnectedness of humanity, emphasizing that we are all in this together, and the consequences of climate change affect everyone, irrespective of regional differences.
The lyrics further explore the notion of worth and action, questioning whether the global North holds more value or if the global South is merely making empty promises. This questioning challenges preconceived notions of superiority or inferiority based on geography, emphasizing that the responsibility is collective and transcends geographical boundaries.
The lines about not knowing “up and down” and questioning what makes one direction “beat the rest” suggest a broader contemplation of humanity’s place in the world and the need to recognize our shared fate. The repetition of “We failed the test, Can you see? One family” reinforces the idea that acknowledging failure and recognizing our shared identity are crucial steps in addressing the complex issue of climate change. The lyrics encourage a collective understanding and responsibility for the challenges ahead, emphasizing the need for unity in facing the global issue of climate change.
THE SCIENCE
Human-induced climate change is a dynamic component of an intricate and unordered system, as per chaos theory.
The Age of Loss and Damage is a new way of thinking about economics by combining economics, climate science, statistics, and physics. Until now, economic models have been unfit to capture the full extent of climate damage. Traditionally, “integrated assessment models” (IAMs) were used to forecast “shock” events. IAMs use “quadratic function” to calculate GDP losses by squaring the temperature change, yet ignore other methods (such as the exponential function) that are better suited for rapid change. “Climate change is fundamentally different to other shocks because once it has hit, it doesn’t go away,” said Thierry Philipponnat, author of a report by Finance Watch, a Brussels-based public interest NGO on financial issues. “And if the fundamental assumption is flawed, all the rest makes little sense — if any.”
Unfortunately, even scientists are failing to see, let alone forecast, the rapid acceleration in climate change. Due to their complexity, the impacts of the Domino Effect are being underestimated. The Domino Effect is also known as “tipping cascades” in climate science. Cascading impacts in relation to tipping points include cascading impacts across biogeophysical and social systems. Until recently, scientist have been drastically underestimating the social-ecological systems. The University of Exeter reports, “There is a notable lack of topic clusters dedicated to how humans will be impacted by climate-related tipping cascades.” 2023 was a wake-up call to social-ecological scientists. The record breaking physical and economical impacts could be felt worldwide. The record warming year was seventeen times greater than any other record increase in history. Typically, record-breaking temperatures are measured in 100th degrees. There were also 200 consecutive days of record-breaking temperatures. Usually, there are one or two record breaking days in a row. The increase in intensity and frequency of record-breaking heat requires forecasting models to be recast.
As flow velocities go up due to climate change, force and damage scale as square of the velocities.
Reuters reported, “Critics say this (IAMs) choice is doomed to underplay the likely impact – particularly if the planet hits environmental tipping points in which damage is not only irreversible but happens at an ever-accelerating rate.” Thierry Philipponnat’s report, Finance in a Hot House World, concludes: “Climate risk is growing to disruptive levels throughout the financial system and the guardians of financial stability urgently need to adapt their tools to regain control.” The report calls for economic models that do not mislead, scenario analyses that prepare the market, and a new prudential tool to address the build-up of systemic climate risk.
Traditional economics is based upon the “costs and benefits” to society. Since there are no known long-term benefits of climate change to society, the Age of Loss and Damage economics focuses on the exponential costs of climate change to society.
— from The Age of Loss and Damage / Brouse (2023)
ExperiMental Music: The music and lyrics are written and recorded extemporaneously. Extemporaneous, spontaneous, improvisation, jamming, freestyle, and impromptu music are most closely related to pure chaos. The music and lyrics evolve from the “sensitive initial conditions” similar to “a butterfly flapping its wings in China causing a hurricane in the Atlantic.”
Music as a Universal Language: Music has the power to communicate emotions universally. Certain melodies, harmonies, or rhythms can evoke specific feelings that resonate with people across different cultures and backgrounds.
The Science of Chaos Theory, String Theory, and Music