Writing Sample - Spring 2022
"PLANT a TREE": How Individualism Plagues Modern-Day Environmentalism analyzes the political cartoon below and its discreet implications. It was nominated for the Mackison Writing Award at CU Boulder. Read it here, or view the PDF.
“PLANT a TREE”: How Individualism Plagues Modern-Day Environmentalism
On February 9th, 2020, Signe Wilkinson published a cartoon in The Philadelphia Inquirer depicting a singular tree planted in the middle of an industrial wasteland. The warm brown trunk and bright green leaves of the tree are a vivid contrast to the dull metallic tones of the tangled pipes it sits upon. These pipes run every which way, some large, some small, some leaking smoke into the air and some disappearing underneath the highways which encase them on either side. The bumper-to-bumper traffic jam on each highway depicts large company trucks and civilian cars emitting puffy white smoke into the air. Thick clouds of smoke cover the edges of the page, coming from a grimy city on the left side, the right is home to a power plant. The phrase “OUR NEW CLIMATE PLAN: PLANT a TREE!...” is written above the illustration.
Through her depiction of industrialism, Wilkinson claims that current plans for climate rehabilitation are impossible within the limits of present-day infrastructure. Wilkinson’s tree is wedged in the crack between two metal pipes. There is no soil for roots to nestle, no nutrients for it to grow and flourish. If Wilkinson had redrawn this cartoon from the back view, it is likely this young tree is nailed into place, with metal puncturing it to hold it up straight. A singular leaf droops down, indicating this tree will not survive. Wilkinson wants us to know the tree is uncomfortable, that this industrial dystopia is no place for the living and helpless. She proposes the question, “Why plant a tree here?” and moves on to answer it, directing blame towards the government.
Wilkinson’s wording within her caption speaks to her disdain for the authority in charge of making these “climate plans”. The caption reads as an announcement, made during a press conference, or featured as a newspaper headline. The speaker is excited, ending the announcement with an exclamation mark, revealing cheerful sentiment. Yet, this confident claim is undermined by Wilkinson’s use of a handwritten font, whose all-capital letters vary in size and seem to cave in on one another. The one lowercase letter in the statement is the “a” within “PLANT a TREE!...”. Despite its short stature, it sticks out amongst the other letters and incites consideration. The undisclosed narrator of this cartoon preaches that planting a singular tree will clear the foggy skies and purify the tainted air. In this instance, the lowercase “a” indicates the stalky green tree is subordinate, it stands no chance against its environment. Wilkinson’s use of typography calls into question the real intentions of the government’s climate rehabilitation efforts.
The tangled web of pipes under Wilkinson’s tree are a metaphor for the deep footprint it would spread if it were planted in nature. This mess of pipes fuels modern-day life, just like roots fuel a tree. Without smokestacks and power plants and pipes, there would be no cities or cars or traffic jams. In illustrating this busy scene, Wilkinson sheds light on the hard truth, that industrialism is the root cause of climate change. Wilkinson’s mockery of current “climate plans” reveals she believes undoing is the key to climate rehabilitation. If the pipes were removed and nature was allowed to restore itself then, yes, planting a singular tree would make all the difference. However, dismantling modern-day industrialism in quite near impossible.
At initial glance, Wilkinson’s cartoon portrays a comical, and all too familiar, approach to climate rehabilitation. She mocks the government for even suggesting this ridiculous idea. Yet, the message within the subtleties of this cartoon indicate Wilkinson’s take on the government's true intentions when making these plans. It’s easy to miss, but one of the trucks puffing smoke displays the Amazon logo. Through this small detail, Wilkinson reveals that the government makes these “climate plans” in an effort to protect big corporations and capitalism. Anything, including climate change, that gets in the way of their goals is completely steam rolled. Bogus plans are made to put a band aid on a bullet hole, making us feel like the right thing is being done, when in reality, it is not. Wilkinson created this cartoon with the intention of showing that real changes cannot be made without real changes. Planting trees won’t save our planet, changing our government values, large corporation practices, and individual lifestyles will.
Wilkinson’s cartoon is justified in its interpretation of environmentalism diluted by industrialism. Few climate plans made by the government or corporations work to preserve our planet rather than preserving capitalism. Even on social media, private companies claim to be saving the world by planting one tree for every dollar donated. Yet, little research is presented to those donating on the impacts of their donation: Where this tree is planted? What research backs up the validity of this plan? Who oversees this campaign? The “one-and-done” nature of modern- day environmentalism reeks of individualism, perpetuating its capitalistic nature.
Wilkinson illustrates that individualism has no place in environmentalism, representing this wide-scale, elusive concept in layman’s terms: a single tree cannot grow atop metal pipes. Yet, this conclusion is overlooked without the accompaniment of in-depth analysis and deep consideration. Perhaps Wilkinson purposefully chose to isolate a shallow audience, letting them chuckle at a bogus cartoon and keep scrolling. Maybe her real intention was to capture the attention of insightful viewers, who will take the time to peel away the layers of the cartoon to discover its true message. If Wilkinson wanted to draw in the mindless scrollers, she should’ve illustrated the narrator of the cartoon, who, according to her description of the cartoon is Donald Trump. The depiction of the former president in this cartoon, would capture the attention of a wider audience, raising a flag that this cartoon is in fact political and controversial. It would be clear that Wilkinson is blaming the government, and therefore capitalism as a whole. However, I believe Wilkinson intentionally left out this detail. She specifically wanted to curate a base of active viewers, who would take the time to investigate and spread her message.
The problem with Wilkinson’s cartoon is not the message, but the media. Political cartoons are found in newspapers, online articles, and social media posts. They are not presented in the court room where delegations are made. Rather than promoting real change, political cartoons comment on change already being made, in this case completely irrelevant change. Wilkinson’s comment on individualism is then interpreted by individuals who can’t contribute anything of value regarding environmentalism. Those who take the time to reveal her conclusion are met with the hard truth that they can’t help, even by planting a tree. The real audience who needs to hear this message are those who create climate plans with malintent: government and big corporations. Therefore, while Wilkinson is completely justified in her claim, she is preaching to the wrong audience.
Ultimately, Wilkinson’s cartoon displays the problem with modern-day environmentalism. Whether you are just scrolling by or performing an in-depth analysis, this conclusion is reachable. While it is a shame that Wilkinson’s message won’t reach those who need to hear it, this is a mechanic of political cartoons themselves, not specifically Wilkinson’s. A mainstream comprehension of the impacts of individualism within environmentalism is better than wide- spread oblivion. Wilkinson did her job, and now it is time for the government and large corporations to do theirs.