Friday Funny: An Artist Makes Climate Change 'Look Awesome'

This kind of satire burns.

1 minute read

July 28, 2017, 5:00 AM PDT

By James Brasuell @CasualBrasuell


Surfing

Laurin / Shutterstock

The Onion spin-off Clickhole holds nothing sacred, but their recent take on a post-sea-level rise New York City manages one of those tricks only possible through satire: wringing jokes from a scary reality.

The post claims it hired an artist to depict New York after being "devastated by flooding from rising sea levels," but then unintentionally created a set of drawings that ended up making "global warming look like pretty much the best thing ever."

So what makes climate change look awesome, in the post's own words? How about people surfing across Times Square, an MTA whale trained to commute like a bus, and "fun gondolas" instead of taxis.

Clickhole's final words of caution place the tongue firmly in the cheek:

It wasn’t cheap to commission these drawings, so we felt like we needed to go ahead and publish them. But just try to keep in mind that climate change is a serious problem. The actual effect on NYC wouldn’t be nearly this freaking badass. It would look scarier, and everyone would hate it. You’re just gonna have to take our word on that.

Thursday, July 20, 2017 in Clickhole

"Planetizen federal action tracker" logo superimposed over black and white image of US Capitol dome.

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker

A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.

October 28, 2026 - Zachary Whalen

A car drives through a puddle, making a large splash. Rain pours down.

California plans to bury El Niño’s downpour

If the state plays its cards right, it may be able to store a billion acre-feet of El Niño’s water in aquifers.

October 28, 2026 - Grist

Lake Powell with much of the water evaporated.

Desperate measures: Advocates weigh draining Lake Powell to fill Colorado River

Draining the reservoir could reduce evaporation losses by a couple hundred thousand acre-feet.

October 30, 2026 - Yale Environment 360

A Firefighter sprays water from a hose at a tall blaze.

US buildings threatened, destroyed by fires set to triple by 2060

Researchers found a high fire risk for socioeconomically vulnerable neighborhoods in the American West.

3 hours ago - Inside Climate News

People cross a crosswalk in Los Angeles.

LA residents may be allowed to paint their own crosswalks

Councilwoman Katy Yaroslavsky put out a motion instructing the Los Angeles Department of Public Transportation to study the feasibility of allowing volunteers to paint crosswalks.

4 hours ago - ABC7

Two women walking on the sidewalk in Dallas.

Dallas moves to overhaul its zoning code

The city's zoning reform will allow more multi-family and mixed-use developments.

5 hours ago - Yahoo News