Environment cartoon book

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The Beast That Ate the Earth
Environment cartoon book

Versions of many of the environmental cartoons on this site can be found in my book, The Beast That Ate the Earth.


I”ve been drawing cartoons on environmental matters since the early 1970s.
The book was published in 2004 and contains about a hundred cartoons in black and white.

The book is available through Amazon.
Such as at:
Amazon UK

Amazon USA

Amazon Germany

Cartoon – climate change refugees

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Cartoon - climate change refugees

Cartoon – climate change refugees.

The cartoon shows the possible increase in mass migration that may be caused by global warming and climate change.
The cartoon compares the current (2015) crisis of mass migration to Europe caused by political instability in the middle east with the possible crisis of mass migration that may occur due to climate change.

A cartoon about mass migration, climate change refugees, impact of global warming.

Drawn: 2015

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Climate change cartoon – achieving carbon emissions targets

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Climate change cartoon - the end is nigh crank

A climate change cartoon about the need to reach low carbon emissions targets.

The cartoon shows the fact that if we don’t take measures to reduce our carbon emissions we will reach a state in which the emissions will drop anyway.

A cartoon about climate change, zero carbon emissions, carbon footprints, global warming.

Drawn: 2015

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Global warming cartoon

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Global warming cartoon - the end is nigh crank

A global warming cartoon, showing a man with an “End is Nigh” placard.

A passing woman is saying “There was a time when I’d have dismissed him as a crank”.

A cartoon about the current feeling of pessimism about the state of the world and about its future.
This refers to climate change and global warming, but could equally refer to the election of Donald Trump as president of the USA!

Original version: 2010

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Climate change cartoon – impact on developing world and compensation

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Developed world's effect on the developing world - cartoon

The adverse effects of anthropogenic climate change on the developing world.
The need for the West to compensate developing countries for the damage caused by climate change.

Subsistence farmers in the developing world, who’s crops are falling due to global warming.

A cartoon about crop failure, famine, starvation, drought.
The West being implicated in the suffering of the developing world.
One of the farmers is saying “Do you know any good lawyers”, to highlight the farmers’ lack of access to power.

Original version created: 2004

Cartoon reference number: a691
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Profiting from climate change – cartoon

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profiteering from global warming cartoon

Climate change cartoon.
A businessman making his business diversify into boats due to increased flood risk.

As global warming results in more floods there will be a greater demand for boats.
The cartoon shows a businessman suggesting that his manufacturing company diversify into ship and boat building.

A cartoon showing manufacturing companies and businesses adapting to changing demands, and about the adaptability of capitalism.

Drawn: 2017

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Carbon footprint cartoon

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carbon footprint cartoon

A carbon footprint cartoon from my selection of environment cartoons.

The illustration shows a climate change conference, with the US delegate (Uncle Sam) wearing gigantic clown shoes. He is thinking ‘No one will take me seriously in these shoes’

A cartoon about the fact that (at the moment) the western world uses most of the world’s resources and thus is in no position to lecture about the impact of consumerism to the developing world

Created: 2016

Cartoon reference number: env001

Climate crisis cartoon (and desertification cartoon)

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climate change denial cartoon

From my selection of environmental cartoons

Climate change denial

A cartoon of a person with his head buried in the sand, hiding from the fact that global warming is affecting the environment. The cartoon shows parts of the world turning to desert as a result of climate change and unsustainable development.

Original version drawn: 1991

Cartoon reference number: env008

Environment cartoons – polar bear and penguins marching to save the ice caps

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penguins and polar bear environment cartoons

Environment cartoons – penguins marching to stop global warming

An illustration showing an environmental protest march of penguins and a polar bear

The penguins in this image are inspired by natural history documentaries about penguins that show the penguins marching in line from their nest site to their feeding ground many miles away.
This cartoon is meant to be a motivational and inspirational image, motivating people to get up and do something for the benefit of the environment (specifically in the areas of climate change and global warming).

Original version drawn: 2011

Ref: a664

Businesses profiting from climate change

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business opportunities created by climate change

Environment cartoon about profit from climate change

Showing business opportunities created by global warming.

The joke is based on the saying “It’s an ill wind that blows nobody good” (meaning that someone always benefits from any situation, including bad ones).
The cartoon is meant as a criticism of cynical profiteering from climate change – it’s not a criticism of pragmatic approaches to job creation as a result of climate change.

Ref: a648

Environment cartoon – floods caused by climate change

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global warming flooding cartoon

Flooding caused by global warming

Following the recent flooding on the Somerset Levels (February 2014), the government is blaming the Environment Agency for lack of foresight. However, it’s not just the Environment Agency who may be blamed for not seeing what was in store. Governments refuse to take action on global warming, and populations in general refuse to confront the possibility of climate change

A comment on postponing taking action about global warming, using the saying “We’ll cross that bridge when we get to it”. Unfortunately, due to flooding, the bridge can’t be crossed.
From my collection of cartoons about global warming, climate change, floods, anthropogenic weather
Cartoon reference number: env076b

Environment cartoon – environmental forecasting

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globe falling in rubbish bin cartoon

Environment cartoon – environmental forecasting

A cartoon showing the earth or globe dropping off its mount and falling into a rubbish bin.
The globe is in the office of an organisation called “The Institute of Environmental Forecasting” (a fictitious organisation as far as I know)

This is a cartoon about predictions of the future of the world as a result of man-made or anthropogenic environmental changes such as global warming, climate change, resource depletion, species extinction, human population increase – the list goes on!

Cartoon reference number: a464

Global warming cartoon

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Global warming thermometer cartoon

Environment cartoon
Climate change cartoon

An illustration showing the earth or globe as the bulb of a thermometer that is measuring the temperature rise caused by anthropogenic global warming.
The liquid in the thermometer is bursting out of the top, signifying the possible calamitous and disastrous outcome of global warming

Cartoon reference number: a462

Ship of Fools cartoon – the earth heading for disaster

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globe - Ship of Fools cartoon

Ship of Fools illustration

Is the earth, and the human race, heading for disaster (because people seem to be only capable of short term planning)?

An environmental cartoon showing the earth as a ship, represented by half a globe, with people on the deck enjoying themselves, oblivious of the fact that they are steering the world towards catastophe

The illustration shows the world’s population as the passengers and crew of the Ship of Fools (or the fools on the ship)

First version drawn: 1991

Cartoon reference number: a449

Global warming cartoons – global warming benefitting industry

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Environment cartoons

Environment cartoon – global warming and consumerism.

An environmental cartoon showing executives in a firm that manufactures refrigerators discussing global warming.
They are saying that the more the world warms up, the more people will want to buy fridges

An illustration of the truth behind the expression It’s an ill wind that blows nobody good, and the way that capitalism can benefit from adversity.
The point of this cartoon is that to some extent the creators of global warming will benefit from it.
Maybe they even sponsor climate change denial research!

Original version drawn: 1991

Cartoon reference number: a441

Desert mirage cartoon – an hourglass pouring sand into the desert

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hourglass creating desert cartoon

Desert mirage cartoon – an hour glass pouring sand into the desert, creating the desert

Cartoon of a man crawling through a desert, seeing a mirage

There may be a meaning to this cartoon related to global warming. Perhaps the hourglass, which is an illusion, represents the concept of climate change denial (where man made climate change is said to be an illusion). However, despite the fact that man made climate change is said to be an illusion the deserts are still getting bigger (and the polar caps smaller).

Cartoon reference number: a360

Carbon footprint cartoon

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environment cartoon - carbon footprint cartoon

Environment cartoon about carbon footprints

The cartoon is based on the nursery rhyme that goes:
“There was an old woman who lived in a shoe,
She had so many children she didn’t know what to do”
The idea partly about the impact of population growth on climate change and global warming – the larger a family, the greater its carbon footprint.
The cartoon is also about eco-housing, ecological buildings, environmentally sound architecture.

Cartoon reference number: a323
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Environment cartoon – desertification (black and white version)

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climate change cartoon

Climate change denial cartoon

From my selection of environment cartoons about climate change and global warming

This is a black and white version of this cartoon.
See a colour version here
A cartoon of a person with his head buried in the sand, hiding from the fact that global warming is affecting the environment. The cartoon shows parts of the world turning to desert as a result of climate change and unsustainable development.

Original version drawn: 1991

Ref: env008b

Global Warming Cartoons

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global warming cartoons

Global Warming Cartoons

This illustration of a polar bear and penguins marching against global warming (and the melting of the polar caps) is one of many images that I’ve produced dealing with environmental issues.
You can see more by clicking the image.

Global warming cartoon. Penguins and polar bear march against shrinking polar ice caps

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environment cartoon - polar bear and penguins against global warming

Global warming cartoon.

Global warming cartoon showing polar bear and penguins marching to protest against global warming and the shrinking ice caps.

One of the humorous points about this cartoon is that polar bears and penguins live at opposite poles (penguins in the Antarctic and polar bears in the Arctic), and thus never meet in normal circumstances (apart from in cartoons). In this cartoon the fact that they are in the same cartoon is meant to convey the notion of solidarity and of the whole world mobilising to fight climate change.
A cartoon about shrinking ice caps, shrinking polar caps, climate change, global warming.
Cartoon reference number: a021b

A longer version of this cartoon (with more penguins) can be found here, and a slightly different version here.

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Global warming cartoon. A polar bear and penguins marching

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environment cartoon - polar bear and penguins cartoon

Environmental cartoon. Global warming cartoon showing polar bear and penguins marching to protest against global warming and the shrinking ice caps.

One of the humorous points about this cartoon is that polar bears and penguins live at opposite poles (penguins in the Antarctic and polar bears in the Arctic), and thus never meet in normal circumstances (apart from in cartoons). In this cartoon the fact that they are in the same cartoon is meant to convey the notion of solidarity and of the whole world mobilising to fight climate change.
A cartoon about shrinking ice caps, shrinking polar caps, climate change, global warming.

Cartoon reference number: a021a

A narrower version of this cartoon (with fewer penguins) can be found here.

Carbon offsetting cartoon and rewinding cartoon

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Environment cartoon. Planting trees to offset carbon use

Environmental cartoons
Carbon offsetting cartoon and rewinding cartoon
The commercialisation of ethical activities

A cartoon about planting trees to offset carbon use as a commercial enterprise. The cartoon is about the privatisation and exploitation of environmentally directed enterprises.
It is also about rewilding, the practice of returning the environment to a pre-agricultural semi-wild and natural state.

A cartoon about carbon footprints, carbon trading, carbon offsetting, rewilding, wilding, planting trees

Original version of cartoon drawn: 2004

Cartoon reference number: env2309b

Environmental cartoons: Noah’s ark and climate change cartoon

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Noah's ark needed for climate change floods

Environment cartoon
A proposal to use an ark (like Noah’s ark) to rescue animals from floods caused by climate change

Climate change predicts rising sea levels that could cause catastrophic flooding

If climate change causes floods on biblical proportions is Noah’s ark the solution?
Cartoon reference number: env078
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Environment cartoon. Global warming graph in the form of Hokusai’s Great Wave

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Global warming graph cartoon Hokusai

Global warming cartoon
Global warming graph in the form of Hokusai’s Great Wave

This climate change cartoon uses Hokusai’s Great Wave to illustrate the effects of global warming – particularly the effects on the change in the sea level and the weather

The Great Wave by Hokusai is frequently appropriated by cartoonists, often to represent disasters.
In this cartoon Hokusai’s wave shows the ultimate effects of global warming. The gradual, almost unnoticed, increase in the effects of climate change slowly accumulate, with ultimate devastating effect. The effects are only taken seriously too late, by which time the effects cause environmental disaster (not necessarily only flooding or tsunamis, which here are actually metaphors for wider consequences)
Cartoon reference number: env079

Climate change cartoons. Flood cartoon – global warming causing flooding

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Environment cartoon - we'll cross that bridge when we come to it

Climate change cartoons
Flooding cartoon

Climate change may cause serious floods. The cartoon shows an official from a government environment agency procrastinating over doing anything about it, with the words “We’ll cross that bridge when we come to it”. When the inevitable flood actually arrives the bridge is uncrossable due to the flood

An environmental cartoon about procrastination, short-termism, planning, contingency plans

Drawn: 1991

Cartoon reference number: env076
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Climate change cartoons – carbon footprint

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Climate change - carbon footprint cartoon

Environment cartoons.
Carbon footprint cartoon

The US delegate at a climate change conference, Uncle Sam, wearing huge clown shoes, saying ‘No one will take me seriously in these shoes’

A cartoon about international conferences on environmental issues, and about the fact that (at the moment) the west uses most of the world’s resources and thus can’t really dictate to the developing world
Cartoon reference number: env001

Environmental cartoons – carbon footprint cartoon

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Carbon footprints and carbon tyre tracks

Environment cartoon
Carbon footprint represented as carbon tyre tracks
Ecology cartoon about carbon footprints

A cartoon about, among other environmental issues, desertification, environmental degradation, sustainability

Cartoon showing the footprints of the western world represented as tyre tracks. The vehicle that’s created them has knocked over a person from the developing world, who’s carbon footprints are relatively insignificant
Ref: env121

Illustration. Carbon footprints of the west and the developing world compared

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carbon footprints of developing and developed worlds compared - cartoon

Environment illustration
Carbon footprint cartoon

The carbon footprint of the west compared to the carbon footprint of the developing world. The west’s is much bigger.

The carbon footprint of the developed world is shown as a huge boot print, while the carbon foot print of the developing world is shown as a tiny foot print (a bare footprint in fact). This is to illustrate the fact that the west has a much larger impact on carbon levels than the developing world.

Cartoon reference number: env002

Aviation cartoon – air transport’s impact on the environment

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Air travel environmental impact cartoon

Air travel’s environmental impact cartoon or illustration
Climate change and aviation cartoon

Cartoon about the impact of aviation on the environment
A single transatlantic flight contributes as much to global warming as a typical year of driving a car

A cartoon about aircraft, climate change, con trails, air miles, carbon footprints
Cartoon reference number: env045
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