Deforestation

Inkblot test of contemporary anxiety

July 29, 2020 by chrismadden

Inkblot test of contemporary anxiety.

In the 1960s during the Cold War the major anxiety in the western world was the potential destruction of civilisation by nuclear weapons.

In the twenty-first century it is the threats to the environment caused by excess human activity.

The cartoon shows a Roschach test being interpreted as the mushroom cloud of a nuclear explosion by someone in the 1960s and as a tree by someone today.

Drawn: 2013

Cartoon reference number: a334b

Environment cartoon book

April 30, 2019 by chrismadden

Environmental cartoon book

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

Easter Island statue – a cartoon about hubris and the degradation of the natural world

February 20, 2013 by chrismadden

easter island statue hubris cartoon

Easter Island statue – a cartoon about hubris

A cartoon showing Easter Islanders erecting a statue

There is a theory that the community on Easter Island went into decline when the Easter Islanders, the Rapa Nui, cut down all of the trees on the island while putting all of their efforts into erecting their famous statues, or moai.
With no trees left, life became unsustainable.

The cartoon can be seen as an argument for rewilding, the system by which degraded ecosystems can be returned to functioning systems by the reintroduction (either deliberately or by benign neglect) of native species.
An illustration about the hubris of power. It brings to mind Ozymandias by Percy Bysshe Shelley
Original cartoon drawn: 2012

Cartoon reference number: a537

Tree of knowledge cartoon

December 11, 2012 by chrismadden

Tree of knowledge cartoon

The tree of knowledge discovers where paper comes from.

Tree of knowledge discovers a disturbing truth.
This cartoon may be used as an environmental cartoon about the use of wood for the production of paper products.
It may also be used as an illustration concerning the human condition – about the way that people, through their own intelligence, have become aware of the ultimate fate of all of us, death. (a fate that other species of animal are possibly blissfully unaware in any deep way).
The cartoon is also about the way that human intelligence as well as bringing about awareness has brought us to the situation in which we are destroying the environment.
A cartoon about paper manufacturing, philosophical insight and the curse of self awareness

Cartoon reference number: a479

Deforestation cartoon – eating the world’s resources

December 4, 2012 by chrismadden

deforestation cartoon - overconsumption cartoon

An environmental illustration about depleting the earth’s resources

Illustration showing pests eating the leaves on trees – however, the pests are humans and the trees are the countries of the world on a map

A cartoon about over consumption of the earth’s resources, consumerism, over population, resource depletion

Cartoon reference number: a450

Easter Island statues cartoon. No trees on Easter Island

September 1, 2012 by chrismadden

Easter island statues cartoon

Easter Island statues cartoon.
The are no trees on Easter Island

Easter Island (Rapa Nui) is famous for its statues known as moai.
Easter Island is often cited as a warning of the cultural and environmental dangers of overexploitation, as the people cut down all of the trees, making the land uninhabitable. There’s a chapter about it in the book “Collapse: How Societies Choose to Fail or Survive” by Jared Diamond.

A cartoon about deforestation, resource depletion and over-exploitation.

Cartoon reference number: a362

House name cartoon. Turning Oak Cottage into Primrose Cottage

May 7, 2012 by chrismadden

oak cottage - primrose cottage - joke

A cartoon about house names. Turning Oak Cottage into Primrose Cottage

Chopping down an oak tree in a garden means that the house name needs to be changed from Oak Cottage.

There’s a primrose in the garden, so the house name is changed to Primrose Cottage.
A humorous illustration about garden trees, felling trees, chopping down trees, garden flowers, wild flowers in the garden, natural gardens, tree stump in garden.

Cartoon reference number: a214

See my book of gardening cartoons here.

Tree of life logo

December 24, 2011 by chrismadden

tree of life cartoon - being watered

Environmental illustration showing the tree of life being tended and watered by a person.

Artwork showing the tree of life being looked after by humans.
This is a positive image to encourage people to take care of the planet.
It’s a change from the environmental images which depict the human race destroying the environment.

An environmental cartoon about ecology, species interdependence, symbiosis, caring for the planet.
An image for earth day.

Cartoon reference number: a041

Deforestation cartoon. Habitat depletion cartoon

September 14, 2011 by chrismadden

Deforestation cartoon - lumberjacks observing environmental destruction

Environmental cartoon about deforestation
Lumberjacks observing environmental destruction after felling trees

One of the lumberjacks is saying to the other lumberjack “It’s only now that we’ve chopped down all of the trees that we can see the damage we’ve done”
An alternative caption may be “You can’t see the wood for the lack of trees.”

The point of the cartoon is that you can’t appreciate the environmental damage you’re doing until you’ve done it.
A cartoon about forest clearance, rainforests, habitat destruction, logging

Cartoon reference number: env080

Deforestation cartoon. Forest clearance discovering new species as it advances

September 14, 2011 by chrismadden

Deforestation cartoon. Discovering new species as they fell trees.

Forest clearance cartoon
Deforestation cartoon

Loggers discovering new species as they advance into the forest, thus claiming that they are increasing the number of species on earth rather than depleting them

A cartoon about species depletion, statistics, statistical manipulation, deforestation, extinction, logging, land acquisition

Cartoon reference number: env081

Deforestation cartoon. Greenpeace cartoon – direct action to save the rainforest

September 14, 2011 by chrismadden

Greenpeace boat buzzing rainforest clearance bulldozer

Deforestation cartoons
Greenpeace cartoon – Greenpeace taking direct action to save the rainforest

Cartoon showing a Greenpeace inflatable boat buzzing a bulldozer that is bulldozing and destroying the rainforest, just as Greenpeace famously buzz the whaling ships

A cartoon about direct action in environmental campaigning.
An illustration about forest clearance, logging, tree felling

Cartoon drawn: 1991

Cartoon reference number: env083

Environment cartoon. The Four Truck Drivers of the Apocalypse

September 11, 2011 by chrismadden

Environmental cartoon - Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse

Environmental cartoon
The Four Truck Drivers of the Apocalypse
The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse

The cartoon shows lorries carrying cargoes that are symbolic of the ills of contemporary western society (with other societies fast catching up).
One lorry carries toxic waste, another logs from logging activity that is depleting the world’s natural resources, another carries weapons, arms and armament while the last one carries the catering facilities for the others – fast food or convenience food

Based on the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse
A cartoon about environmental degradation, war, man made disaster, over consumption, resource depletion, the end of civilisation as we know it

Cartoon reference number: env048

Environment cartoon. Cut down a tree with a chainsaw that uses biofuel?

September 11, 2011 by chrismadden

biofuel chainsaw cartoon

Environment cartoon
Biofuel cartoon
Chainsaw cartoon

A lumberjack with a chainsaw cutting down a tree, explaining that it’s okay because the chainsaw runs on biofuel. A cartoon that illustrates the way that biofuel is promoted and packaged as eco-friendly or environmentally friendly, when in fact it isn’t

A cartoon about tree felling, deforestation, chainsaws, biodiesel,alternative fuel sources,ecology, ecological sustainability, environmentally sustainable energy use.

Cartoon reference number: env055

The Tree Of Knowledge Discovering What Paper is Made From

August 29, 2011 by chrismadden

Cartoon: the tree of knowledge discovering that paper is made from wood

Inkblot test of contemporary anxiety.

In the 1960s during the Cold War the major anxiety in the western world was the potential destruction of civilisation by nuclear weapons.

In the twenty-first century it is the threats to the environment caused by excess human activity.

Drawn: 2013

Cartoon reference number: a334b

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:

Easter Island statue – a cartoon about hubris

A cartoon showing Easter Islanders erecting a statue

There is a theory that the community on Easter Island went into decline when the Easter Islanders, the Rapa Nui, cut down all of the trees on the island while putting all of their efforts into erecting their famous statues, or moai. With no trees left, life became unsustainable.

Cartoon reference number: a537

Tree of knowledge cartoon

The tree of knowledge discovers where paper comes from.

Cartoon reference number: a479

An environmental illustration about depleting the earth’s resources

Illustration showing pests eating the leaves on trees – however, the pests are humans and the trees are the countries of the world on a map

Cartoon reference number: a450

Easter Island statues cartoon. The are no trees on Easter Island

A cartoon about deforestation, resource depletion and over-exploitation.

Cartoon reference number: a362

A cartoon about house names. Turning Oak Cottage into Primrose Cottage

Chopping down an oak tree in a garden means that the house name needs to be changed from Oak Cottage.

There’s a primrose in the garden, so the house name is changed to Primrose Cottage. A humorous illustration about garden trees, felling trees, chopping down trees, garden flowers, wild flowers in the garden, natural gardens, tree stump in garden.

Cartoon reference number: a214

See my book of gardening cartoons here.

Environmental illustration showing the tree of life being tended and watered by a person.

Artwork showing the tree of life being looked after by humans. This is a positive image to encourage people to take care of the planet. It’s a change from the environmental images which depict the human race destroying the environment.

An environmental cartoon about ecology, species interdependence, symbiosis, caring for the planet. An image for earth day.

Cartoon reference number: a041

Environmental cartoon about deforestation Lumberjacks observing environmental destruction after felling trees

One of the lumberjacks is saying to the other lumberjack “It’s only now that we’ve chopped down all of the trees that we can see the damage we’ve done” An alternative caption may be “You can’t see the wood for the lack of trees.”

The point of the cartoon is that you can’t appreciate the environmental damage you’re doing until you’ve done it. A cartoon about forest clearance, rainforests, habitat destruction, logging

Cartoon reference number: env080

Forest clearance cartoon Deforestation cartoon

Loggers discovering new species as they advance into the forest, thus claiming that they are increasing the number of species on earth rather than depleting them

A cartoon about species depletion, statistics, statistical manipulation, deforestation, extinction, logging, land acquisition

Cartoon reference number: env081

Deforestation cartoons Greenpeace cartoon – Greenpeace taking direct action to save the rainforest

Cartoon showing a Greenpeace inflatable boat buzzing a bulldozer that is bulldozing and destroying the rainforest, just as Greenpeace famously buzz the whaling ships

A cartoon about direct action in environmental campaigning. An illustration about forest clearance, logging, tree felling

Cartoon drawn: 1991

Cartoon reference number: env083

Environmental cartoon The Four Truck Drivers of the Apocalypse The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse

Based on the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse A cartoon about environmental degradation, war, man made disaster, over consumption, resource depletion, the end of civilisation as we know it

Cartoon reference number: env048

Environment cartoon Biofuel cartoon Chainsaw cartoon

A lumberjack with a chainsaw cutting down a tree, explaining that it’s okay because the chainsaw runs on biofuel. A cartoon that illustrates the way that biofuel is promoted and packaged as eco-friendly or environmentally friendly, when in fact it isn’t

A cartoon about tree felling, deforestation, chainsaws, biodiesel,alternative fuel sources,ecology, ecological sustainability, environmentally sustainable energy use.

Cartoon reference number: env055

Cartoon: the tree of knowledge reading a book, and discovering that paper is made from trees A cartoon about the saying ‘ignorance is bliss’

A cartoon about the acquisition of knowledge and its possible unsettling consequences

The cartoon can be interpreted as being about the fact that humans are aware of their own mortality due to their level of awareness

Cartoon reference: env118

Cartoon drawn: 1991

The Beast That Ate the Earth
Environment cartoon book

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:

There is a theory that the community on Easter Island went into decline when the Easter Islanders, the Rapa Nui, cut down all of the trees on the island while putting all of their efforts into erecting their famous statues, or moai.
With no trees left, life became unsustainable.

Easter Island statues cartoon.
The are no trees on Easter Island

There’s a primrose in the garden, so the house name is changed to Primrose Cottage.
A humorous illustration about garden trees, felling trees, chopping down trees, garden flowers, wild flowers in the garden, natural gardens, tree stump in garden.

Artwork showing the tree of life being looked after by humans.
This is a positive image to encourage people to take care of the planet.
It’s a change from the environmental images which depict the human race destroying the environment.

An environmental cartoon about ecology, species interdependence, symbiosis, caring for the planet.
An image for earth day.

Environmental cartoon about deforestation
Lumberjacks observing environmental destruction after felling trees

One of the lumberjacks is saying to the other lumberjack “It’s only now that we’ve chopped down all of the trees that we can see the damage we’ve done”
An alternative caption may be “You can’t see the wood for the lack of trees.”

The point of the cartoon is that you can’t appreciate the environmental damage you’re doing until you’ve done it.
A cartoon about forest clearance, rainforests, habitat destruction, logging

Forest clearance cartoon
Deforestation cartoon

Deforestation cartoons
Greenpeace cartoon – Greenpeace taking direct action to save the rainforest

A cartoon about direct action in environmental campaigning.
An illustration about forest clearance, logging, tree felling

Environmental cartoon
The Four Truck Drivers of the Apocalypse
The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse

Based on the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse
A cartoon about environmental degradation, war, man made disaster, over consumption, resource depletion, the end of civilisation as we know it

Environment cartoon
Biofuel cartoon
Chainsaw cartoon

Cartoon: the tree of knowledge reading a book, and discovering that paper is made from trees
A cartoon about the saying ‘ignorance is bliss’