While the image above may be satirical, it exposes the fast effects of climate change that Gardiner discusses in her article. When we see the issues coming, we do not immediately perceive them as a threat which proves to be our down fall consistently. Once the problems are more than evident, it is much harder to do anything about it, “the virus has shown that if you wait until you can see the impact it is too late to stop it” (Gardiner). Essentially, the coronavirus pandemic can help us as a nation tackle our issues faster. If we apply the knowledge that we have learned today to the climate change crisis, we can reverse the effects before they are more prevalent than they are now.

While we as the public may work individually to reverse the effects, it will never be enough. We will always be dependent on government officials to set the tone. They must force the public to take climate change seriously, just as it’s being done with corona. Most people cannot see far ahead into the future, so they will not innately attempt to heal the earth, “it’s all about somebody else stepping in and forcing us to internalize the externality…”(Gardiner). The political cartoon shows Trump not acknowledging the clear threat of climate change, slowly raising in the background. If the people who maintain our nation do not take issues seriously, others will emulate the same behavior. All in all, we as a nation rely heavily on the efficient planning, prevention, and action of our government officials.