Pink Floyd’s David Gilmour Auctions Off 126 Guitars For $21 Million To Fight Climate Change

We all need some good news sometimes: iconic guitarist and songwriter David Gilmour of Pink Floyd recently auctioned off 126 of his guitars in June and donated the profits to fight climate change. If you’re having a bad day, this should put a smile on your face.

The legendary musician raised a whopping US$21 million by auctioning off 126 of his guitars, and donated the entire sum – every single penny – to the environmental non-profit charity ClientEarth. Gilmour, who is serious about the threats posed by climate change, hopes that this can raise awareness about the state of our planet, and will inspire people to take action against it. 

One of the most notable guitars was the black Stratocaster that Gilmour used to record the famous hits “Shine On You Crazy Diamond” and “Money”. Sold for US$4 million, it far exceeded the initial expectation of a $150,000 price tag. 

Speaking about his decision to donate the hefty sum to ClientEarth, the rock star said tweeted: “The global climate crisis is the greatest challenge that humanity will ever face, and we are within a few years of the effects of global warming being irreversible. We need a civilised world that goes on for all our grandchildren and beyond in which these guitars can be played and songs can be sung.”

Thanks to Gilmour, ClientEarth will be better resourced to use the law to tackle climate change and its related issues, including the extinction of species, destruction of ecosystems, and more extreme weather patterns that threaten our food system and human civilisation altogether. 

Lead image courtesy of Wikimedia Commons.