Do artists have a duty to be political? Imagine series episode artwork

EPISODE · Feb 12, 2026 · 32 MIN

Do artists have a duty to be political? Imagine series

from Zero: The Climate Race · host Bloomberg

How can music be used to communicate the climate crisis and its solutions? This week on Zero, Akshat Rathi talks with Pulitzer Prize winning composer Julia Wolfe about her recent work, unEarth, which explores climate change and habitat loss through orchestra, voice and poetry. Wolfe discusses how she did her research, captured the clash between humanity and nature, and what the piece means at a time when her home country of the US seems to be moving ever further from climate action.  Listen to unEarth: If you'd like to listen to the full performance of Julia Wolfe’s unEarth, it will be broadcast on BBC Radio 3 on Thursday, 12 February at 7.30pm UK time, and will be available on BBC Sounds, at least for those here in the UK, for the next month.  Explore further: Julia Wolfe’s website: https://juliawolfemusic.com/ Past episodes in the Imagine series:  George Saunders on Climate Guilt, AI and Critical Thinking Kim Stanley Robison on Abundance, Adequacy and Better Climate Futures Artist Monira Al Qadiri on the End of Oil Zero is a production of Bloomberg Green. Our producer is Oscar Boyd. Special thanks to Sommer Saadi, Mohsis Andam, Sharon Chen and Laura Millan. Thoughts or suggestions? Email us at [email protected]. For more coverage of climate change and solutions, visit https://www.bloomberg.com/green.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Episode metadata supplied by the publisher feed · Published Feb 12, 2026

Embed this episode

NOW PLAYING

Do artists have a duty to be political? Imagine series

0:00 32:37

No transcript for this episode yet

We transcribe on demand. Request one and we'll notify you when it's ready — usually under 10 minutes.

No similar episodes found.

No similar podcasts found.

Frequently Asked Questions

How long is this episode of Zero: The Climate Race?

This episode is 32 minutes long.

When was this Zero: The Climate Race episode published?

This episode was published on February 12, 2026.

Is there a transcript available for this episode?

Yes, a full transcript is available for this episode. You can read the complete transcript on the episode page.

Can I download this Zero: The Climate Race episode?

Yes. Use the download control on the episode player to save the publisher-provided media file.
URL copied to clipboard!