Chris Madden Cartoons

A searchable archive for licensing

Electric powered cars cartoon

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electric car cartoon

Electric cars cartoon
Sustainable energy cartoon

A cartoon showing electrically powered cars filling with fuel at a filling station. Instead of filling at petrol pumps they are filling at a small electricity pylon

Although this cartoon doesn’t make a comment on the use of electricity to power vehicles, I suspect that it won’t turn out to be as sustainable as its advocates claim.
A cartoon about the environment, ecology, transport systems, hybrid cars, oil-free economy, battery power, fossil fuel dependency, power supply, energy sources.

Drawn: 2011

Cartoon reference number: env061

You can find a colour version of this cartoon here.

Environment cartoon book

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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

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

Ref a711
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We are depleting the earth’s mineral resources at our peril

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depleting the earth's resources cartoon

A cartoon showing people mining the earth’s mineral resources to an irresponsible extent.

The cartoon about the depletion of the earth’s resources – and the possible dire consequences.

The image shows the earth represented by a boat, with the people in the boat digging out so much of the earth’s minerals that they have made a hole in the bottom of the boat, meaning that it will sink. A cautionary image.

Original version created: 1991

Cartoon reference number: a465
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Sundial cartoon. A sundial is a solar powered clock

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sundial cartoon

Sundial cartoon. A sundial is a solar powered clock

In the cartoon a person is looking at a sundial and is saying “It’s incredible that all those years ago they’d developed solar-powered clocks.”
The cartoon illustrated how in the modern world we assume everything has to be powered by a relatively modern form of power, such as electricity in the form of batteries or mains electricity. In the past everything was powered by “sustainable” or “natural” resources, such as solar power, the wind or water.

A cartoon about the history of clocks, horology
Cartoon reference number: a544

See my book of gardening cartoons here.
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Pollution cartoon – the earth choking to death on car exhaust fumes

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Toxic car exhaust fumes - cartoon

Atmospheric pollution cartoon

A cartoon showing the earth or globe inside a car, with a tube connecting the car’s exhaust pipe to the inside of the car. The implication of the cartoon is that the earth is committing suicide by poisoning itself on vehicle exhaust fumes.
The wider implication of the image is that the world is suffocating due to the effects of multiple toxic emissions, pollutants and contaminants that are a by-product of the modern industrial society

Cartoon reference number: a463

Wind turbine cartoon

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wind turbines cartoon - blot on the landscape compared to motorway?

Wind power cartoon
Are wind turbines a blot on the landscape?

A motorist on a crowded motorway complaining that wind turbines are eyesores.
A cartoon about renewable energy, electricity generation, road policy, sustainable development and sustainability.

Cartoon reference number: env052a
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Cartoon – questioning whether wind turbines are a blot on the landscape

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windmill/wind turbine blot on landscape illustration

A windmill/wind turbine – blot on landscape

A cartoon about the debate about wind power, and the argument that wind turbines are a blot on the landscape and a blight on the countryside

The cartoon uses the comparison between modern wind turbines and ‘picturesque’ Dutch windmills (or strictly speaking, wind powered pumps) to question whether wind turbines are a blot on the landscape.

The illustration is in a style that resembles a 17th century Dutch landscape painting, as a way to imply that people’s attitudes don’t change.
A cartoon about nimbys, nimbyism, alternative technology, sustainable energy, green power, environmentalism, natural energy

Cartoon reference number: a430
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False perspective in the garden cartoon – after M C Escher

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Escher false perspective in the garden cartoon

Gardening cartoon and self-sufficient power generation cartoon

Cartoon about sustainable power generation, featuring an Escher type use of false perspective to make water flow up hill in a garden pond or ‘water feature’.

Cartoon of a woman mowing a lawn with an electric lawn mower powered by a generator harnessing the power of flowing water in her garden pond.
She is saying “It’s amazing how much electricity you can generate with a small generator and a little bit of false perspective”

This is a recently redrawn version of a cartoon that I first drew about thirty years ago in the 1980s. It’s one of a series of cartoons that I drew at the time about sustainable technology – mostly employing absurdist ideas such as the impossible structure here that allows water to flow uphill (borrowed from the work of M C Escher). Other ideas in the series included perpetual motion machines and Heath Robinson devices.
A cartoon about sustainable energy, lawnmowers, garden ponds, garden water features, environmental gardening.

Cartoon reference number: a263

See my book of gardening cartoons here.
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Solar power cartoon – solar panels on an artificial sunflower

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solar panels cartoon

Solar energy cartoon -solar panels on an artificial sunflower

Showing a plant harnessing energy from the sun. The plant in the cartoon is artificial (a sunflower) and the energy it is obtaining is being used to drive a speaker which is producing the sound of birdsong.

A humorous illustration about alternative energy, sustainable energy, renewable energy sources, electricity generation.

Drawn: Aug 2011

Cartoon reference number: a184

See my book of gardening cartoons here.

Wind power cartoon – reduce carbon emissions by attaching a wind turbine to a barbecue

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cartoon bbq powered by wind turbine

Environmental cartoon showing a barbecue powered by wind power instead of using charcoal – as a way of reducing carbon emissions.

Bbq cartoon- how to reduce your barbecue’s carbon footprint.

A cartoon encouraging people to reduce their carbon emissions and carbon footprint by using a wind turbine attached to a barbie.

Cartoon reference number: a046
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Fracking cartoon. What’s this fracking cartoon about?

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cartoon about fracking

A cartoon about fracking and the protests against fracking in the UK in 2011

Fracking is short for hydraulic fracturing – a process in which water and sand are pumped at high pressure into rock strata, where the pressure fractures the rock, allowing the extraction of natural gas.
The gas that is extracted by fracking is gas that is otherwise trapped in the rock and is difficult to extract. The rock is often shale – therefore the gas trapped in it is known as shale gas.
The franking process is sometimes blamed for contamination of the water supply and for minor earthquakes in the vicinity of franking work.

The cartoon about fracking draws attention to the unfortunate sound of the word franking, which is not only harsh and sounds like the process that it represents (onomatopoeia), but it also sounds like an expletive and can easily be appropriated by its critics (such as in banners proclaiming “Stop this fracking business”). The word fracking becomes an F word.
Cartoon drawn: 2011
Cartoon reference number: fra112
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Sustainable transport cartoon. Wind-powered cars being refuelled at wind turbines

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Environment cartoon. Wind-powered cars being refuelled at wind turbines rather than petrol pumps.

Environmental cartoons
Sustainable transport cartoon
Wind-powered cars being refuelled at wind turbines rather than petrol pumps

Fuel and energy cartoons

A cartoon about energy consumption, green energy, wind power, electricity generation, fossil fuels, alternative fuel supplies, transport, electric cars, battery powered vehicles.
Drawn: July 2010
Cartoon reference number: car710
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Energy saving poster in the style of a World War II poster

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Energy saving poster, showing a house with lots of lights on and message saying Put That Light Out!

Environmental cartoons
Energy saving poster in the style of a World War II poster, with a message saying “Put That Light Out!”

A poster design showing a house with lots of lights on and a message to turn the lights off. A pastiche of a WWII poster, where a similar message would be used to avoid buildings being visible to enemy bombers. Hence the connection between war and fighting to save the environment

A cartoon about energy consumption, insulation, green architecture, energy conservation, environmental degradation, unnecessary electricity use, excessive power use, green energy
Cartoon reference number: env250

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

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

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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

Wind power cartoon. Are wind turbines a blot on the landscape?

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Wind power cartoon. Turbines as eyesores

Environment cartoon
Wind power cartoon
Energy supply cartoon

A motorist on a crowded motorway complaining that wind turbines are a blot on the landscape or are eyesores.

A cartoon about renewable energy, wind power, electricity generation, road policy,sustainable development, sustainability
Cartoon reference number: env052

There’s a colour version of this cartoon here.

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Climate change cartoons. Fossil fuel use causes flooding

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Anthropogenic climate change cartoon. Fossil fuel use responsible for flooding

Environmental cartoons
Anthropogenic climate change cartoon or global warming cartoon

Cartoon illustrating the consequences of the fact that fossil fuel use may be responsible for flooding.
The cartoon shows a car stranded in a flood

A cartoon about sustainability, the environment, floods, transport
Cartoon drawn: 2011
Cartoon reference number: env077
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Wind power cartoon. Battersea coal fired power station converted to wind power

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Alternative energy supply cartoon. Battersea coal fired power station converted to wind power

Environment cartoons
Wind power cartoon
Sustainable energy cartoon

Cartoon or illustration showing Battersea coal fired power station converted to wind power generation by adding wind turbines to the chimneys

A cartoon or illustration about alternative energy supplies, fossil fuel dependency, natural energy, electricity supply, power generation, sustainability.

A black and white version of this cartoon first appeared in the Guardian newspaper in about 1985.

Cartoon reference number: env062
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Unsustainable biofuel cartoon. A plantation of biofuel plants

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Biofuel cartoon. A huge plantation stretching for miles

Energy source cartoon
Unsustainable biofuel cartoon

The cartoon shows a car driving through a huge biofuel plantation, with the driver saying that the plantation is so large that the nearest filling station is an hour away at the other side

How much land is needed to grow biofuels?
A cartoon about sustainable energy, biodiesel, unsustainable land use, energy consumption, transport, environmental impact, petrol or gas substitutes.

Drawn: 2009

Cartoon reference number: env053

A colour version of this cartoon can be found here.

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Roadkill cartoon: unleaded fuel’s impact on the environment – roadkill caused by fuel tanker

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Unleaded fuel cartoon. Petrol tanker squashing hedgehog

Environment cartoons
Roadkill cartoon
Unsustainable energy cartoon

A fuel tanker transporting unleaded petrol squashing a hedgehog on the road

A cartoon about sustainable energy, environmental impact, roadkill, gas, fuel supply.
Originally published in the Guardian newspaper in the 1980s.
Cartoon reference number: env057

Environment cartoon. Cycling cartoon

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Unleaded petrol cartoon. Cyclists don't use petrol

Environment cartoon
Cycling cartoon
Cycle campaign cartoon

A car with a sticker saying “I use unleaded petrol” and a cyclist with a jacket reading “I don’t use unleaded petrol”

A cartoon of a car cutting up a cyclist
A cartoon about fuel, gas, petrol, diesel, transport, sustainability, sustainable energy, cycling, bicycles, bikes, urban cycling campaigns, city cycle lanes.
Cartoon reference number: env059
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Wendy house with wind turbine cartoon – converting a Wendy house into an eco-house

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Wind turbine cartoon. A wendy house fitted with a wind turbine

Wind turbine cartoon

A Wendy house fitted with a child’s windmill as a wind turbine to supply electricity and to convert the house to an eco-house

A cartoon about sustainability, electricity generation, power generation, alternative energy, sustainable development, fuel supply, environment friendly power, eco-friendly design, environmental architecture
Cartoon reference number: env3110

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