Cartoonists Find Climate Change Not So Funny
by Bonnie Alter, London on 07. 4.08
Here's the winner of Earthworks 2008, a global cartoon competition, with 600 entrants from 50 countries. Earthworks organisers " hoped that the competition would stimulate cartoonists to use their pens and wit to help combat environmental devastation and give new impetus to our desperate fight to stop global warming." The winning cartoon, "Coat Star", is by Mikhail Zlatkovsky from Russia. Judges felt that this cartoon of a man indecently exposing himself to a pure and pristine universe says " 'This is the disdain we've shown our world'...we felt the sleaziness was appropriate to the topic."
Often cartoonists are putting themselves on the line by depicting issues that go against the government's official policy. Despite the climatic disaster in Burma, two were sent from there, and China also sent some, despite its poor official reputation for cutting emissions.The works reflect the country of origin and its climatic issues, with some tragic and not so funny results. Shortages of food and clean water were depicted by cartoonists from Yemen and Syria, whilst water scarcity and desertification were common themes in cartoons from hot spots such as Africa, Australia and South America. Brazilian cartoonists depicted the loss of the Amazonian forest. As the organisers said " humour is often a valuable key in the struggle to win hearts and minds."
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