Vox Populi: Kayas Guitarist Jessica Yang on Environmentalism and Climate Change

By the Moon and the Stars seems like a fitting album title for a band like Kayas that hails from the beautiful surroundings of the Pacific Northwest. The Vancouver-based melodic death metal band just released their debut record this week, featuring the single “Reflections in the Water.” The band very much uses their surroundings as inspiration for their songwriting. They are a product of the place they call home, and it has moulded them into the band they are. By the Moon and the Stars was written with the intent of channelling the natural world around them. The primary themes of the album center around nature, human existence, and fantasy. There is much inspiration that one can draw from just their natural surroundings. And the band members are strong proponents of that point of view.

Even though they are just releasing their debut full-length, Kayas is not a new band. They first formed in 2018 and have slowly built from there. Their sound is defined by its emphasis on powerful, harmonized guitars and catchy melodies. The vocals are crushing and harsh, the basslines thunderous, and the power evident throughout. So far, they have played with bands like Omnium Gatherum, Allegaeon, and Wake.

Kayas guitarist Jessica Yang joins us today for a new edition of Vox Populi. Considering the band’s roots and inspirations, there would be no better topic to discuss than the environment. Jessica shares her views on climate change, what she does to contribute to the betterment of our planet, and where she sees things moving in the future.

No matter what your political or ethical outlook, there are issues and topics that we are all passionate about. Some examples are climate change, human rights, poverty, military conflicts, prejudice, and economic disparity. With this in mind, what’s the issue or topic that you are most passionate about?

Jessica Yang: “This is a tough call. It’s difficult to pick a singular issue alone that I’m most passionate about as in my view, they’re all connected. However, the topics of environmentalism and conservation resonate with me the most. The capitalist society we live in demands endless growth and profitability at the cost of people and the planet, leading to a state where the world’s largest corporations wield immense power and influence over climate action policies.

“A global climate crisis is happening right now. It is having a cascading effect on everything from our air quality to ocean wildlife, and it’s projected to only get worse. I’m particularly concerned about habitat loss and the impact it’ll have on our planet’s biodiversity.”

A night walk in the rainforests of La Fortuna, Costa Rica, courtesy of Jessica Yang

Why is the topic of environmentalism so important to you?

“Growing up in Vancouver, BC, I spent a lot of time outdoors getting acquainted with our local flora and fauna. Surrounded by the coastlines, mountains, and forests, many living in BC form a connection to the environment. With BC’s logging and forestry industry being one of the world’s largest exporters of lumber, sustainable forest management is something that is on the minds of some BC residents.

“How do we meet both the environmental and economic needs of current and future generations? With record high temperatures and drought conditions in some areas of BC, our forests have also become susceptible to wildfires that displace communities, sometimes permanently. I believe that everyone, including the coming generation, should have the opportunity to connect with our natural world.”

KAYAS ‘By the Moon and the Stars’ album artwork

What do you see as the biggest contributing factors to the climate crisis?

“As I see it, a big contributing factor is the leading multinational companies and governments being slow to acknowledge the severity of the situation. Additionally, I believe the way that climate issues have been politicized is another factor that has led to inaction. How such a crucial topic has become so divisive has led to limitations on progress, with the ones in charge of decision-making being dictated by those with vested interests instead of the general public.”

Overlook of the North Shore in Vancouver, courtesy of Jessica Yang

If you could have everyone in the world hear you for one minute, what would you tell them about this topic?

“The first thing that comes to mind is to encourage everyone to listen to the science and look at the numbers for yourself, and question for-profit media which could be controlled by influential, self-interested parties. An example I can think of is the rabbit hole that is recycling and the narrative that’s pushed on us as consumers. ‘Buy more plastic! We can just recycle it.’ (But it’s cheaper to manufacture new plastic than to recycle it. So we’ll just ship that bin that took hours to sort off to some developing nation overseas so it becomes their problem instead).

“The current way we do things isn’t working. So we have to recognize the situation for what it is, a crisis that’s unfolding before our eyes and not a distant threat.”

Beaty Biodiversity Museum at the University of British Columbia, Vancouver, courtesy of Jessica Yang

What are some ways you’ve contributed to the solutions to this issue?

“I try to do my part in the ways that feel right and impactful to me. I give to organizations that are doing great work in conservation and mitigating the climate crisis. Areas that I’m particularly interested in are reducing plastic pollution, especially in our oceans, and conserving and restoring our tropical rainforests, the lungs of our planet.

“I’m especially concerned with the impacts of habitat loss for certain species. Some people know that I love sloths. Most people know that they’re, well… slow. This makes them particularly susceptible to habitat fragmentation (e.g. when we build roads, we create forest gaps). There’s a solution, though – sloth crossings! (Or, more broadly, wildlife bridges.) I sponsored one built in Limón, Costa Rica, earlier this year.

“I also describe myself as a minimalist. Owning less physical stuff has led to improved clarity on what my priorities are and what’s important, but also has the benefits of conscious consumption and reduced waste. In a society where everyone is trying to sell you something all the time, it’s good to be conscious of what you really need.

“Then, there’s the music. Much of Kayas’s music draws inspiration from the natural world. One of the tracks, ‘Terminus,’ off of the album, explores the continued destruction of our planet, written to express my personal frustration and outlook on the crisis.”

Symbolic sloth adoption from WWF #stopanimalselfies, courtesy of Jessica Yang

What are some actions that readers can take right now to contribute to tackling this issue?

“We do have to see the bigger picture, as many people (myself included) sometimes can’t see the forest for the trees and focus on small details when a larger, systemic change needs to be made. However, advocating for policy change requires collective action and coordination which seems difficult on a global scale. A more feasible approach on the individual level would be to limit our consumption.

“This has other benefits on the individual level as I’ve mentioned, but on a larger scale would break the cycle of excess production and consumption. Reducing the demand for new products (like plastic knick-knacks from Temu or AliExpress that end up in some landfill months later) eases the impact on our planet’s resources.

“I encourage everyone to take whatever action that they think makes sense for their situation and feels meaningful to them, however small that may be. In this day and age, it’s easy to feel inadequate for not doing enough for social issues. But we’re all busy fighting to meet our own needs and doing the best we can.”

English Bay, Vancouver shoreline cleanup with Oceanwise and City of Vancouver NCP, courtesy of Jessica Yang

Let’s do a thought experiment: If this issue and others like it can be resolved, what world do you envision? How does it work? What does it look like? How does it sustain itself? Why does it work?

“It’s difficult to imagine both a realistic and overly positive outcome. It’s also difficult to draw a boundary between the climate crisis and other issues like economic disparity and corporatocracy. The most realistic way of mitigating the climate crisis I could imagine is through technological advancements that provide new methods for addressing environmental challenges (e.g. new nuclear energy technologies, biodegradable plastics, liquid trees) coupled with strong governance. With any new technology, there’d be resistance. But innovation would drive economic growth that would hopefully make the current status quo more readily adopt new solutions.”

If left unchecked, where do you see this issue heading in the years to come?

“I see this being one of the largest challenges that we will have to face in the coming years, leading to lower quality of life. I also see the climate crisis exacerbating wealth disparity with low-income and marginalized groups being affected the most.

“In the long run, I believe that it could be one of the many things that’ll lead to the fall of civilization as a whole. This seems hyperbolic, but there’s evidence that this would be the end result unless there is a large-scale collective effort to address this issue.”

KAYAS “Terminus” single artwork