The situation with climate change is alarming, and legendary Pink Floyd guitarist and songwriter David Gilmour is determined to raise awareness about the issue.

He auctioned off 126 of his guitars in June, sold them for  $21 million, and donated the profits to charity.

Among the auctioned guitars,  the most notable one was the iconic black Stratocaster, used to record “Comfortably Numb,” “Shine on You Crazy Diamond,” and “Money”, and was bought by the owner of the Indianapolis Colts for $4 million.

Gilmour bought the guitar in May 1970 to replace his first black Stratocaster, which he had bought only six weeks before but was stolen in New Orleans on tour along with the rest of Pink Floyd’s equipment.

He bought the guitar new at Manny’s, an iconic New York City guitar store where a lot of famous musicians purchased instruments.

The Stratocaster differed a bit from the stolen one since it had a maple neck instead of a rosewood neck. Over the years, he made a few changes to the instrument to get the perfect sound.

Before the auction, the rock star promised to donate every penny to the environmental nonprofit ClientEarth. He said that the global climate crisis is the greatest challenge that humanity will ever face, and within a few years, its effects will become irreversible.

He added that we need a civilized world that goes on for all our grandchildren and beyond, in which his guitars can be played and songs can be sung.

Around 97 percent of climate scientists agree that the planet is changing as a result of a high output of carbon emissions due to human activity. Yet, we do not take enough action to prevent disasters and the extinction of species and to lower emissions in the present and immediate future.

James Thornton, ClientEarth’s CEO, said that he is extremely grateful for this remarkable gift. David has a long history of supporting charities, so this one is honored for being chosen for this landmark auction.

Sources:
truththeory.com
edition.cnn.com