Media Querencia

Jaya Roberts, Editor-in-Chief

January 21, 2026

Cantado

Throughout history, music has been used as a tool for powerful messages about social issues. Spanning throughout decades and genres, lyrics are often used as a way to spread messages about climate change, disguised behind resonant metaphors and artful instrumentals. The following is a small roundup of powerful songs to add to your eco-friendly playlists.

Big Yellow Taxi – Joni Mitchell

Joni Mitchell’s “Big Yellow Taxi” expresses her disdain for corporations destroying natural landscapes and historical buildings in favor of cookie cutter skyscrapers. Mitchell begs for agricultural preservation, asking farmers to put away the pesticides to save the “birds and the bees.” The song warns the public to appreciate and protect the natural world before it’s irrevocably lost.

(Nothing But) Flowers – Talking Heads

“(Nothing But) Flowers” is often perceived as a response to Joni Mitchell’s “Big Yellow Taxi.” The song takes a satirical approach to the conversation, critiquing humanity’s dependence on modern convenience over natural resources. Where Mitchell protests that the world has “paved paradise, put up a parking lot,” Talking Heads say, “If this is paradise / I wish I had a lawn mower.”

Monkey Gone to Heaven – Pixies

“Monkey Gone to Heaven” is a surrealist conversation about humanity’s place in the universe. The song critiques the environmental impact of large cities. In the song, the waste of a capitalistic society destroys the sea, which is full of sludge, the sky, which has a hole in it and the ground, which is no longer cold. Slowly, the Earth is destroyed by human impact.

Hands All Over – Soundgarden

Written by Soundgarden’s Chris Cornell, “Hands All Over” criticizes human exploitation and desecration of nature. The song says that humans put their hands all over “coastal waters,” “western culture” and the natural resources they love and desire. Cornell positions Mother Earth as a victim of rampant greed, warning “you’re gonna kill your mother.”

all the good girls go to hell – Billie Eilish

Billie Eilish’s “all the good girls go to hell” is a pointed warning about climate change, specifically calling out rising sea levels and recurring California wildfires. She uses religious symbolism to critique humanity’s arrogance toward nature. She warns that pollution and unchecked human consequences could lead to self-inflicted ruin.

Rage of Plastics – U.S. Girls

“Rage of Plastics” is U.S. Girls’ rendition of Fiver’s 2013 brooding ballad which tells the story of a woman rendered infertile due to her years of working in a toxic oil refinery. The song – through groovy instrumentals and sultry ‘60s-inspired vocals – highlights the human cost of industrial pollution and unregulated manufacturing of hazardous materials.

El Cine

Whether it be hidden in rom-com, comedy or laid out in a dystopian sci-fi film, there are impactful stories with crucial messages about the human-environmental interaction throughout all genres in Hollywood. Here is a roundup of films that suit all different tastes and preferences, conveying important messages about sustainability and humanity.

Confessions of a Shopaholic (2009)

“Confessions of a Shopaholic” follows New York City journalist Rebecca Bloomwood through her battle with shopping addiction. After falling into a position at a financial magazine, her entire life flips upside down. The film presents a tough conversation about consumerism and its negative impact on people’s lives, all wrapped up in a sweet rom-com bow.

WALL-E (2008)

“WALL-E” details the story of the last waste-compactor robot left on an Earth destroyed by corporate greed and mass consumerism. The film is a heartwarming animated movie deeply entwined with a harrowing dystopian world, where life on Earth is saved by love and humanity in the unlikeliest of places.

Erin Brockovich (2000)

This film is based on the true story of Erin Brockovich, a single mother turned legal assistant, who stumbles upon a suspicious real estate case. With great persistence and empathy for the victims, she spearheads a massive and historic class-action lawsuit against a utility corporation who she discovers is knowingly poisoning local groundwater, devastating the community.

Interstellar (2014)

Set in an alternate universe where Earth is ravaged by unsustainable agriculture, dust storms and blight, “Interstellar” follows a group of astronauts sent on a mission by NASA to save humanity from extinction. The sci-fi drama features the team traveling through a black hole, looking to abandon Earth and find a new habitable planet or die trying.

Zoolander (2001)

“Zoolander” satirizes the world of fast fashion and overconsumption, telling a story of exposing an underground plot where global fashion moguls try to murder a world leader who stood up to fight for fair labor. “Zoolander” uses outrageous satire and comedy to mock the frivolous nature of fast fashion.

Killers of the Flower Moon (2023)

“Killers of the Flower Moon” is based on a true story set in the 1920s, where oil resources turned the Osage Nation reservation into sought after, valuable land. Osage family members were murdered to steal their natural resource rights, and this story exposes the destructive cost of corporate greed and the dehumanization of native land, resources and people.