Analysis of a Political Cartoon on Environment

Analysis of a Political Cartoon on Environment

Image 1: Rose P. Kettle’s political Cartoon on Melting Arctic Ice

Over the past few years, political decisions have impacted negatively on the environment. Politicians are driven by greed to enact policies that infringe on the environmental concerns. As a result, the climate has drastically changed for the worse. Today, the ice at the poles is melting at an unprecedented rate. In fact, there are growing fears that within a century, the melting ice would swallow some of the low-lying coastal cities like Florida and New York (Sweetnam et al. 332). The artist Used Harper (a Canadian Prime Minister) to represent the politicians and the woes of climate change. It is clear from the cartoon that Harper is sinking while polar ice is on the watch. The cartoon is intended to serve as a lesson to the political figures on the impending disastrous consequences due to flawed environmental policies. The humanity is under a threat of catastrophic effects including drought, hurricanes, and other extreme weather conditions. Already, the industrial activity has yielded irreversible damage to the atmosphere, thus threatening to wipe out plants and animals.

The cartoon’s setting is Canadian Arctic.  Rose P. Kettle targeted a political figure to create an environmental awareness. There are three characters on the background: Harper, and two polar bears. Besides, Rose simplified her cartoon by minimizing the coloring and effects. This implies that she is more inclined to passing a clear and simplified message to the audience. In addition, the artist targets an audience that consists of people from all generations—literate or illiterate.  She is well-aware of the needs of the Canadian public and the rest of the world hence a need to limit depictions for clarification. Notably, the two polar bears stare blankly at the sinking Prime Minister. They ironically state that the prime minister has a “latest environmental platform.” Such a message is symbolic and sarcastic at the same time. The minute and insignificant ice platform that Stephen Harper stands on is rapidly melting. As such, the rate of sinking is accelerated.

Rose chose the polar bears as the main characters because their species is threatened by the human activities. Polar bears depend on ice to survive and to hunt seals. The absence of glacier and ice due to an emission of greenhouse gases to the atmosphere is a direct threat to the animals due to loss of food and habitat. On the other hand, the artist used bubbles and stretch lines to reflect on the acceleration of ice loss because of excessive heat.

Distinct audiences can interpret the cartoon differently. For instance, the polar bear sarcastic comment means that Harper and other political leaders have an insufficient platform to address the changing climate and its impact on the polar ice caps. The polar bear cartoon represents the Northern wildlife.  Contrastingly, Harper’s stunned facial looks and expression of sadness creates an impression that most politicians shy away from the main issue that requires immediate attention. Eventually, the same problem he is attempting to run away causes him to ‘sink’ in the election. Many leaders in the world today are motivated by personal intentions because they do not provide the needs of the majority.  Many people in the Arctic states are increasingly becoming aware of the destruction of the surroundings. The artistic representation outlines a strong message that the government needs to be proactive rather than reaction to neutralize the severe consequences of global warming.

Rose’s cartoon is not effective. The setting should be exaggerated with details to capture a reader's attention. The simplicity of the background underestimates the severity of the matter. Instead, the artist should have depicted the polar bears in the position of Harper. In the real sense, most Northern wildlife faces a threat of extinction because of melting ice in the poles. Furthermore, Rose should represent the extreme climatic conditions using a scorching sun and a cloudless sky. The ice should be depicted as thin and fragile sheets. Besides, the most suitable title for the cartoon is the ‘Sinking Ship’. Such a heading will sound an alarm and necessitate sourcing for lasting solution. Blue skies fall short of the real image of a hot climate. It should be replaced by orange or yellow skies to simulate danger and extreme climate.

In summary, it is undeniable that a clearly articulated cartoon image can be used to represent the severe environmental damages as created by politicians. Rose’s cartoon highlights the dangers faced by polar wildlife because of melting ice and extreme climatic conditions (Greenberg 181).

References

Greenberg, Josh. "Framing and temporality in political cartoons: A critical analysis of visual news discourse." The Canadian Review of Sociology 39.2 (2002): 152-196.

Swetnam, Thomas W., and Julio L. Betancourt. "Mesoscale disturbance and ecological response to decadal climatic variability in the American Southwest." Tree Rings and Natural Hazards. Springer Netherlands, 2010. 329-359.