U2 guitarist Edge has defended the huge carbon footprint caused by his band's recent world tour.

The band have come in for criticism after the cost of their tour schedule and its effect on the environment, with former Talking Heads singer David Byrne describing it as "excessive", stating: "$40 million to build the stage and, having done the math, we estimate 200 semi trucks crisscrossing Europe for the duration."

But Edge told BBC 6 Music: "We're spending the money on our fans, I don't think there's a better thing you could spend it on.

"I think anybody that's touring is going to have a carbon footprint.

"I think it's probably unfair to single out rock 'n' roll. There's many other things that are in the same category but as it happens we have a programme to offset whatever carbon footprint we have", he added.