Dr. Seuss's The Lorax and Its Warning on Climate Change
By Samuel Liang | He/Him/His | Buddhist Church of Stockton
Scientists once again gave humanity another dire warning about climate change. This time, the Earth is very likely to pass a dangerous temperature threshold within the next 10 years, pushing the planet past its point of catastrophic warming — unless nations drastically transform their economies and immediately transition away from fossil fuels. Now, several nations already have planned or have passed plans to eliminate fossil fuels by 2040/2050, but I would say it would be too late. Scientists are continually ignored by the world, governments aren’t taken very seriously. And while some big corporations are helping the climate crisis turning to reusable or recyclable materials for their products, these are just baby steps for the environment - not enough to curb this climate crisis. Major airlines are looking to switch to sustainable aviation fuel, California is looking to ban the sale of gas powered cars by 2035, and the U.S. is looking at solar and wind as renewable energy sources and is expected to add over 60% of the utility-scale generating capacity towards the U.S. power grid.
Society has been calling for world governments to tackle the climate crisis for years, even before the COVID-19 pandemic, but we were ignored. And this is where we look towards Dr. Seuss’s The Lorax.
Now, many may raise eyebrows when they hear Dr. Seuss, which is reasonable considering some of his books indeed raised eyebrows. But the message behind The Lorax is what’s meaningful. The Lorax is a cautionary tale, primarily about one’s responsibilities to the environment. The Lorax, speaks for the trees and the Once-ler, is a character representing human greed and how his unfettered ambition leads to the destruction of the environment.
Now, to those who haven’t read or watched The Lorax movie, let me break it down for you. The story centers around the Once-ler, whose greed leads to the destruction of an entire ecosystem by cutting down Truffula trees to make a profitable product, ignoring the pleas of the Lorax, who represents the voice of the environment. The environment then becomes completely decimated before the Once-ler realizes the harm he has caused. Now, many people still recognize these parallels between the themes in "The Lorax" and the current and growing concerns around climate change and environmental degradation. The book and movie highlight the consequences of unchecked greed, exploitation, and the importance of stewardship and conservation of the environment, which are all relevant to the current climate crisis.
Overall, while "The Lorax" was written several decades ago, and the movie was filmed back in 2012, its themes have continued to resonate with people, becoming a symbol of the environmental movement and a call to action for people to take better care of the planet. The quote that was said by Dr. Seuss in The Lorax (movie and book) means that if no one cares about a problem, nothing will be done to solve it, emphasizing the importance of taking action and being passionate about making a positive change.
"Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot, nothing is going to get better. It's not."
Dr. Seuss
References
Lebeaucarnews. “United Airlines, Five Other Companies Launch Effort to Develop Sustainable Aviation Fuel.” CNBC, CNBC, 21 Feb. 2023.
Kaplan, Sarah. “World Is on Brink of Catastrophic Warming, U.N. Climate Change Report Says.” The Washington Post, WP Company, 20 Mar. 2023.
Krenz, Vincent. “Opinion: California Lawmakers Are Overlooking the Consequences of the Gas-Powered Car Ban.” Tribune, San Diego Union-Tribune, 19 Jan. 2023.
“Renewable Energy.” Energy.gov
“The Lorax - Teaching Children Philosophy.” Prindle Institute, 24 Jan. 2021.
