Chris Madden Cartoons

A searchable archive for licensing

Green man illustration

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Illustration - the green man (as a tree)

The green man.

The concept of the green man stretches back to antiquity, and is usually depicted as a head covered in leaves and foliage.
In this cartoon version, the green man is depicted as a tree, where the only evidence of a human link is the man’s legs protruding below the tree’s foliage and forming the tree trunk.

Concept: 2010

Cartoon reference number: a761

A world in which there is no countryside, only city development

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Cartoon - a city scene where the only evidence of nature is on a traffic island

An urban landscape with no trees or grass except on a traffic roundabout.

A person in a passing car is saying to their children “Look kids – the countryside!”
A cartoon about sprawling urban development, green spaces, the concrete jungle, nature being squeezed out, urbanisation, urbanization, city gardens,

 Drawn: 2016
Cartoon reference number: a760

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Air pollution cartoon

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Air pollution cartoon

Air pollution cartoon

Showing a man using breathing apparatus to breathe fresh air in a polluted atmosphere. The oxygen cylinder contains a plant that is generating oxygen

Part of the idea behind the cartoon is to convey the concept that plants are the lungs of the world, liberating oxygen from carbon dioxide via photosynthesis.
A cartoon about clear air, atmospheric pollution and toxic chemicals, smoke and smog

Original version created: 1991

Cartoon reference number: env071b

Driving into a worrying future

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driving to the future - the collapse of civilisation

A car driving off the end of a road – symbolising the human race hurtling towards an uncertain future of its own making.

The car driver is following the sat-nav (GPS) unquestioningly as the car drives off the edge of the precipice (which metaphorically signifies the collapse of civilisation).

The road in this cartoon symbolises the human race’s road into the future, while the car is a metaphor for the human race itself, accompanied by its technological ‘life support system’.
The message is meant to be that if we’re not careful it will all end very badly.
This isn’t an anti-technology or anti-progress cartoon by the way – it’s just a view of how things might go if we aren’t careful.
Original version created: 2016
Cartoon reference number: a739

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Blindly following progress (a metaphor)

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blindly driving to the future - and over a cliff

A car driving off the end of a road and over a cliff – with the car driver still unquestioningly following the sat-nav.

The scene is a metaphor for what may happen if the human race unquestioningly and uncritically follows technological progress. Not that I think that technological progress is bad – we just need to watch where it’s going.

Drawn: 2016
Cartoon reference number: a741

A car driving into the future – and plunging off the end of the road

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driving to the future - the collapse of civilisation

A car driving into the future – and plunging off the end of the road

The car driver is following the sat-nav (GPS) unquestioningly as the car drives off the edge of the precipice (which metaphorically signifies the collapse of civilisation).

This cartoon is about the inherent danger in the advance of technology (here symbolised by cars, transport systems sat-nav) and other aspects of human progress. The further we progress, the greater the consequences of anything going wrong, especially if we put too much faith in technology and, as here, follow it uncritically.
Drawn: 2016
Cartoon reference number: a740

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
Reference number: a712

Climate change cartoon – net zero carbon dioxide emissions

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Climate change cartoon - tnet zero carbon dioxide emissionns

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

The cartoon shows the fact that if we don’t take measures to reduce our CO2 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.
Cartoon drawn: 2015
Cartoon reference number: a711

Floods Caused by Climate Change Cartoon.

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Cartoon - floods and extreme weather events

Flooding caused by climate change

Original drawn in 1991.

This cartoon was inspired by “once every hundred years” floods that occurred in Cumbria in the UK twice in six years.
It refers to the saying “We’ll cross that bridge when we come to it”.

A cartoon about floods, flooding, extreme weather events, climate change, global worming, the environment.
Original version created: 1991
Cartoon reference number: env076c

The End is Nigh cartoon – global warming

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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, with particular reference to the climate emergency and global warming
Original version: 2010
Cartoon reference number: a709

The psychology of consumerism and special offers – cartoon

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cartoon - a misleading special offer in a supermarket

A joke showing people being deceived by a special offer in a shop.

The customers see a sign with the special offer of “Two for the price of Three’ and they automatically think that this is a good deal due to the way that the offer is framed (interpreting it in the same way as “Two for the price of three”).
A cartoon about consumerism,marketing, persuasion, selling, manipulation, misleading offers.

Drawn: 2009
Cartoon reference number: a697

How to ignore inconvenient truths

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cartoon - television programme about tv manufacturing

A TV viewer wanting to ignore the evidence in a television programme as it would make him uncomfortable.

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A cartoon depicting a person ignoring an inconvenient truth. (The cartoon doesn’t actually imply that all televisions are manufactured in exploitative sweatshop conditions – the use of a tv in the cartoon is because the tv in the image is, ironically, the conduit for the information to be made available).

Original version drawn: 2009
Cartoon reference number: a693

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
Cartoon reference number: a9687

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Environment-friendly holidays and eco-tourism

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Eco holidays cartoon

Cartoon caption suggesting that the most environment-friendly holidays are holidays spent at home (or at least not jetting off to an exotic location).

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A cartoon about choice of holiday destinations

Eco-holidays, eco-tourism, tourism
Original version drawn: 2009
Cartoon reference number: a686

Save the dolphins cartoon

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dolphins aren't vegetarian cartoon

Cartoon showing a campaigner for protecting dolphins being disappointed to discover that dolphins aren’t vegetarian.

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A cartoon about the concept that some animal lovers prefer animals that are thought of as nice, cute, gentle etc (which interestingly extends to pet cats, which I frequently see tormenting and killing wildlife)..

The idea refers to some extent to the ‘natural fallacy’, which states that nature is inherently good.
Original version drawn: 1990
Cartoon reference number: a685

Man’s relationship with cars

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car as a protective shell - cartoon

Cartoon – a car as a protective shell or carapace.

An image illustrating the psychology of motoring and the human relationship with cars
A cartoon about cars, car use, traffic, psychology.
Original version drawn: 1990
Cartoon reference number: a680

Why there were no unicorns on Noah’s ark – cartoon

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Why there were no unicorns on Noah's ark - cartoon

A cartoon showing Noah’s ark with consumer goods (cars, shipping containers etc) taking up valuable space. Noah is telling the two unicorns that are wanting to enter the ark that there is no room for them.

The cartoon is about the human race’s impact on wildlife (particularly as a result of our consumption of the earth’s resources, but also as a result of anthropogenic floods).

A cartoon about endangered species, unicorn extinction, wildlife in danger.
Original version. drawn: 1990
Cartoon reference number: a679

Environmental cartoon

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human eating world - worm eating apple cartoon

A cartoon showing an apple with a worm – a metaphor for people destroying the earth.

The cartoon about the human race’s impact on the earth.

Original version created: 2004
Cartoon reference number: a678

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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The world being destroyed by consumerism cartoon

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traffic destroying environment cartoon

A cartoon showing a lorry crossing a traffic roundabout and destroying the playing arrangement on the roundabout.

The cartoon is a metaphor for the way that our consumer society and consumerism (represented by the lorryload of goods) is devastating the earth (represented by the flower planting in the form of a map of the world).

Original version created: 1991

Cartoon reference number: a454
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Genetically modified pigs will fly.

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pigs will fly gmo cartoon

A cartoon showing a genetically modified pig flying.

A cartoon about gmo food and genetics.
The cartoon strip shows people talking about ‘scare stories’ about ‘Frankenstein food’, with the final frame of the strip showing a flying pig.

A cartoon about gmo, genetically modified organisms, pigs will fly.
Original version created: 2008
Cartoon reference number: a695

Will increased gmo food yields cause human population increase?

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gmo food cartoon

A cartoon dealing with the issue of genetically modified crops increasing crop yield to feed more people

The cartoon shows scientists considering the consequences of increasing food yields and the possible resulting population increase.

A cartoon about gmo, genetically modified organisms, human population increase.
Original version created: 2012
Cartoon reference number: a677

The Ethics of Coffee – illustration

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Coffee cash crop cartoon

An illustration showing coffee beans with currency symbols on them (£ and $) as a symbol of the profit-motivated production

This illustration was created to depict coffee grown by multinational companies primarily for the profit.

The image is to draw attention to fair trade crops and ethically produced food products
First published in Ethical Consumer magazine
Drawn: 2015
Cartoon reference number: a675