Supporter: Terra Naomi

The Taj Mahal in Agra, India. Photo: jackluke (flickr)

Good morning!

I am currently in Agra, waking up on a very misty morning...

Visited the Taj Mahal yesterday and it is beautiful beyond any description.

Had an interview with a reporter from Srinagar who told me that I am the first Western artist to perform there...seems hard to believe...couldn't possibly be true, but I am so honored to be able to play in Srinagar and to lend my voice to the incredibly important issue of climate change. And if I am one of the first Western artists to perform in the region, then I hope to inspire other artists to make this journey in the future.

Just googled "Copenhagen" because I wanted to check up on the latest news... The city must be getting ready for the Climate Change Conference. Happy to see that one of the most searched phrases involving Copenhagen this morning is "Copenhagen Climate." People are obviously taking an interest as the countdown begins. I can't wait to hear news from the conference. And when the leaders of the world are meeting, we will have our concert in Kashmir.

The Mercy Corps Action Center is great because they make it SO EASY to get involved - from small things that take only a minute, to larger commitments, like playing a concert in Kashmir! ;) The best thing about Mercy Corps' Action Center is that the stuff they organize actually HAPPENS and helps real people in real ways. It's awesome to see.

If you would like to send a message to President Obama, asking him to support greenhouse gas emissions reductions, clean energy policies and a comprehensive aid package to help the people in the world's most devastated areas who will suffer the most as climate change continues, please go HERE.

It takes less than a minute.

Ok - time to get up and take a walk outside. Heading back to Delhi today. Performances at The Foreign Correspondents Club and the Hard Rock Cafe, as well as a live performance at the Press Corps and a radio station that plays only female artists! Cool!! Rehearsing with some Indian musicians tonight to create a very special surprise for the Hard Rock show! Also can't wait to meet the Kashmiri choir with whom I will be performing at the concert in Kashmir. Met with the leader of the choir, Wahid, and he was lovely with a stunningly beautiful voice. Can't wait to sing with him!!

More soon...and please take a moment to sign the online petition! These things do actually send a strong message, especially when tons of people participate!

:)
xoxox
Terra

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Terra Naomi. Photo: Photo: Courtesy of Terra Naomi

I am so pleased to make the following announcement: I will perform at the Mercy Corps climate change concert on December 7, in Kashmir, as part of my upcoming tour of India, which includes performances in Mumbai, Bangalore, Delhi and Srinagar.

When Mercy Corps approached me about performing my song, "Say It's Possible," as part of this event to raise awareness for climate change, I was honored and excited to take part in something so important.

This concert will coincide with the Copenhagen Climate Conference, and will hopefully draw some attention to one of the areas hit hardest by climate change.

As most of us already know, the areas most affected by climate change are the areas least responsible for the rapidly changing climate. They are parts of the world where people are already struggling, already living in difficult conditions, and these areas will continue to become increasingly challenging places to live as natural resources disappear. I was absolutely amazed to find out that the glaciers in Kashmir provide water to one-fifth of the world's population. That's a HUGE number.

In case you're looking for some facts, here you go:

• ActionAid reports that “the last 40 years have seen a reduction in water levels of almost all the streams and rivers in Kashmir by two-thirds.”
• An estimated "1.3 billion people across China, India, Nepal, Pakistan, Myanmar, Bhutan and Afghanistan rely on the waters flowing from the glaciers in the Himalayan region," reports the Earth Institute at Columbia University. That's about one-fifth of the world's population.
• Kashmir's glaciers are melting at an alarming rate — "endangering the livelihoods of two-thirds of the region’s nearly 10 million people engaged in agriculture, horticulture, livestock rearing and forestry," according to a study by Kashmir University’s geology and geophysics department.

It's frightening, and I'm really hoping that the Copenhagen conference will help motivate people to take this seriously and devote resources to finding a way to slow the damage we are doing to the environment.

And so I will lend my voice and take a trip into northern India, Kashmir, the source of so much of the world's water...
I leave for India in less than a week. I am excited and a little bit nervous. I know it will be an incredible journey, and I will learn so much, and grow as an artist and most importantly, a human. I want to be able to inspire other people and help the world in some small way. Music seems to be the most effective way for me to contribute and I feel so lucky to be able to do this.

I will post more in the coming days and look forward to meeting my new friends in India!!

xox
Terra
:)

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