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These two paintings are extremely meaningful in present day discussion of climate change. Unfortunately, even if the entire planet stopped producing green-house gases right this second, we would still experience consequences of climate change. This is why we must make changes now to minimize the future effects of climate change. The comparison of the paintings provide a look into the future based upon how we act now.
The picture on the left portrays our future if we continue on the path that we are on now. The Statue of Liberty is covering her face because the air is so polluted that it is hazardous to breathe. In her left hand, she holds a barrel of gasoline because this is the main cause of climate change. Humans have been using fossil fuels since the Industrial Revolution in the 1800’s, and tons of carbon dioxide is produced as a byproduct and pumped into the atmosphere. In her other hand, she holds a gasoline bump to show once again, we must step away from fossil fuels because it is a limited resource, and the byproduct is harmful. The background is a musky brown, and even the clouds are dark. Smoke stacks produce large clouds of dark smoke that will increase the rate of climate change and the consequences. In addition, vultures are circling the Statue of Liberty symbolizing death. We are currently experiencing the Anthropocene Extinction, the sixth mass extinction. It is called the anthropocene because all of it is due to human activities. Biodiversity is plummeting, and species are going extinct before humans can even discover them.
The picture on the right is a different story. It gives hope that maybe humans will change, and there can be a positive, bright future. The air appears to be clean because of the blue sky and white clouds. In her left hand, the Statue of Liberty holds a solar panel, a renewable energy source. In her other hand, she holds up a wind turbine, which is another renewable, clean energy resource. This shows the future if humans make the change from fossil fuels to clean energy. In the background, it looks like little green bushes are growing, which shows life is thriving. Bald eagles are flying around the Statue of Liberty instead of vultures.
These paintings are powerful on their own, but when put side by side, it is appalling. Humans are going to have a frightening future if something is not done very soon about climate change. We are already past the window of completely avoiding the long term consequences of climate change, but we can control how bad the consequences are. These paintings only take on one of the harmful effects of human activities, and unfortunately, humans affect the environment in many more ways. There is a solution to this wicked problem, but people do not want to break away from fossil fuels. If we want a future for our planet, we need to make extreme changes right now, or we will end up like the left picture.