Harry Styles is a Tree Hugger

Our favorite floppy-haired rainbow boy does it yet again: and this time, he’s saving the world. 

Written and illustrated by Emma Tanner

On February 14, 2020, Harry Styles saved the world. Okay, well, not exactly, but he maybe kind of did. 

While visiting the BBC Radio 2 Breakfast studio for a Valentine’s Day morning show, Harry and his band covered Joni Mitchell’s classic 1970 environmental anthem, “Big Yellow Taxi.” Harry has always harbored a deep appreciation for the classics, so his choice to cover the track wasn’t a far stray from the former One Direction heartthrob’s usual realm of nostalgic expertise. But this time was different. 

This wasn’t like the time he tugged on all of our heartstrings with his Spotify Singles rendition of “Girl Crush,” or when he took on Fleetwood Mac’s rock and roll classic “The Chain” back in 2017, or even that one time he joined Fleetwood Mac’s own legendary rock goddess Stevie Nicks to perform “Landslide” at the 2020 Gucci Cruise runway show, making us all wonder just how exactly someone could look that hot while wearing those pants. 

No, this time was definitely different. 

In the face of alarming climate change rates and a global warming point of no return that experts say “is in sight and hurtling toward us,” Harry knew just how important the overarching message of “Big Yellow Taxi” is to the current distressing ecological situation we all find ourselves in. With well over 1 billion streams on Spotify, 34.2 million Twitter followers, and recklessly-devoted “Stylers” fans watching his every move (remember that one time they hacked into airport security cameras just to watch Harry do … literally nothing?), there’s no doubt that Harry has a large following. So there's also no doubt that when Harry Styles says something, the world listens. 

Which is exactly why what he said — or rather, sang — during his Valentine’s Day performance is so important. However subtly, however musically, Harry was telling us all something that so desperately must be heard: we need to do something. And we need to do it NOW. 

Since 1970, Mitchell’s “Big Yellow Taxi” has remained rooted in America’s cultural subconscious, with everyone from Bob Dylan to Rita Ora pulling the track back up every few years to put their own personal spin on the classic call to action. But, just like all other legendary and once well-recognized musical masterpieces, the song’s enduring message always finds itself swept under the rug, put back up on the shelf, and easily forgotten as the latest “Old Town Road” remix or Tik Tok sensation tops the charts and takes precedence in modern conversations and cultural priorities. 

 By covering “Big Yellow Taxi,” Harry Styles used his widespread platform to deliver the important message of the track to the cluttered ears of modern audiences. Spotlighting the song allows listeners to reflect on the lasting importance and applicability of its themes of environmental responsibility and ecological preservation. 

“Don’t it always seem to go / That you don’t know what you’ve got til it’s gone” is a particularly hard-hitting line from Mitchell’s song that perfectly encapsulates the large-scale effects and lasting impacts of climate change. We’ve seen the implications of this message first-hand over the course of the strange and jarring global experience that has been 2020: the Australian bushfires that charred over 27 million acres of the nation’s wildlife habitats and killed over 1.5 billion animals in it’s flames; the floods in the Indonesian capital of Jakarta that claimed 66 lives and led to significant and lasting damage throughout the city; and, of course, the global coronavirus pandemic that has diminished medical resources across the globe and completely altered the world’s conception of normality. 

Each of these disasters tie directly to an environmental issue — in a sense, it’s almost as if the Earth itself is screaming at us in a final vain attempt to get us to wake up and finally, truly, listen. Studies have shown factors directly linked to climate change make wildfires in the Australian nation 30% more likely to occur. Uncontrolled population growth in Jakarta, coupled with the global warming that caused such flooding to transpire, immensely aggravated the flood’s devastating impacts. Links have been drawn between high rates of air pollution and increased coronavirus death tolls in regions like Italy and China. Climate change is a problem, and it’s a bigger problem now more than ever. 

But, of course, we never seem to listen to the screaming earth. Except, maybe now, we will listen to Harry Styles. And maybe we will finally understand what it means when he says we truly don’t know what we have until we no longer have it. And maybe, we’ll finally do something about it. 

Harry had already taken large personal strides in combating the climate change crisis by partnering with REVERB during his first solo world tour. REVERB is a nonprofit that works with musicians, festivals, and venues to lessen the ecological impact of concert events. Their involvement with big-name artists such as Billie Eilish, Tame Impala, the 1975, and Shawn Mendes has helped to combat the negative impact of the music industry’s touring practices by focusing on ways to make concerts more sustainable. REVERB establishes resources such as reusable water bottles for artists and crew members, donates unused toiletries from hotel stays to local homeless shelters, and offers free, refillable water stations to encourage concert goers to ditch disposable water bottles in favor of a more sustainable option. By working with REVERB, Harry has established his platform as one that is environmentally-minded and aware of the important role we play as individuals in combating the climate issue. 

Harry has also personally shared his views regarding environmental subjects, such as during his recent April 5 interview on U.K.’s Total Access radio show. In light of the coronavirus pandemic, Harry commented on the potential silver lining that can be found within the isolating confines of social distancing, saying, “It kind of feels like we’ve all been grounded (and) Mother Nature’s sent us all to our rooms to think about what we’ve done.” While admitting that reunification with the natural world amidst the distress of a global viral pandemic is not ideal, Harry stated, “I think there’s going to be a crazy study afterwards about the climate so I think it might end up being a silver lining.” With this, Harry reminds us just how important it is to prioritize ecological mindfulness — even in times of such great uncertainty —  and the lasting impact such times have on our global society.  

While Harry’s cover of Mitchell’s hit “Big Yellow Taxi” will not solve the issue of climate change all on its own, the awareness and reflection that Harry has encouraged among his fans and broader audiences is crucial in making large strides towards a collective cultural attitude of sustainability. 

It’s no doubt that a bunch of crazed Stylers streaming a single BBC Radio 2 session won’t turn back the clock on global warming or instantly give back to all the polar bears their lost icebergs, but it most certainly will get people listening, talking, and, hopefully, doing something. 

And, if anything, we all know just how powerful teenage girls can be when it comes to their borderline-concerning obsessive love for a boy that looks like a wet spaghetti noodle with floppy hair. 

They just might be able to save the planet.