Comics Uniting Nations Releases Christmas Special on SDG 13: Climate Action Santa Clause leads by example in the series’ newest comic from Dodds, Strauss and Charles

My first comic is now out 'Santa's Green Christmas: Father Christmas battles Climate Change'.  (downloadable here) I wrote it with Michael Strauss the Executive Director of Earth Media, an independent political and communications consultancy based in New York.

The amazing art and coloring was by John Charles who has worked with Marvel UK and 2000AD. The lettering is by Ian Sharman award winning writer of Alpha Gods, Hero: 9 to 5, Hypergirl, The Intergalactic Adventures of Zakk Ridley and Spacescape, Finally the ink work is by Lee Townsend who started working in the comic industry in the mid 90's as an artist for Marvel on titles such as Deaths Head, Action Man, Transformers.

With the holiday season approaching, businesses use every marketing technique in the book to sell more products. In a clever twist on this tradition, Dodds, Strauss and Charles have flipped the script, using the iconic figure of Santa Clause to promote individual action on climate change.

Santa’s Green Christmas is the newest comic in the Comics Uniting Nations series, a collaboration between top comic artists, UNICEF, The World’s Largest Lesson, PCI Media Impact and Reading With Pictures.

It hones in on the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goal 13: Climate Action.
Mr. Claus first became aware of the shifting temperature conditions when a team of his reindeer [when Dancer, one his lead reindeer] almost crashed through the previously thick and solid ice-cap while landing during a practice run.

"Fortunately, she was soon on the mend.” Mr. Claus comments.  "But the whole thin-ice issue caught my attention."  A series of consultations with neighboring terns, wrens, and polar bears confirmed the seriousness of the phenomenon, and his research into the reports of the world's most eminent scientists revealed the causes.   [further conclusive evidence.]

"It seemed to me we have been dashing to disaster," he recounts.

After some research, Santa makes a quick trip around the world to see if the global population is really making all of the mistakes scientists are warning against. When his fears are confirmed, Santa pulls in Mrs. Clause and the pair turn that fear into personal action: electric cars for the elves, a solar grid for toy production, and a carbon offset strategy to counteract all of that air travel.

Co-author Dodds noted he's had a long, productive relationship with Mr. Claus.

"I first met Father Christmas at the age of three in a clothing store in the U.K. in Derby, and I became Chair of Father Christmas Youth.  I then organized a stakeholder consultation around gift-giving practices in my freshman year at University of Surrey.  I now hope to have Santa lead a workshop around the nexus among water, food and energy at the UN."

Santa’s Green Christmas narrates the climate change story in a way that kids will understand, but the dry style of writers Dodds and Strauss layers a witty story that is just as interesting for adults.

Introducing new and old audiences to climate change is no easy task, as the topic has loomed over time to become both politically charged and practically intimidating. Reading this narrative from the mouth of Old Man Christmas himself eases audiences in to the issue through holiday tropes they know well, coupled with the mesmerizing visual language of comics. 

Santa’s Green Christmas is a brilliant new addition to the series,” said Sean Southey, co-creator of Comics Uniting Nations and CEO of PCI Media Impact. 

“It perfectly captures the spirit of the program, which aims to make the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) both accessible and interesting to the people around the world who need to put them into practice.”

Felix Dodds will be in San Francisco from the 28th of November to the 3rd of December promoting the comic and his two books that were published this year. (still time to buy for Christmas)

The Water, Food, Energy and Climate Nexus: Challenges and an Agenda for Action edited by Felix Dodds and Jamie Bartram, and November

Now out: Negotiating the Sustainable Development Goals: A transformational agenda for an insecure world by Felix Dodds, Ambassador David Donoghue and Jimena Leiva Roesch




Comments

  1. Shared this beautiful gift on my humble Facebook page and wall, with love...

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Key Sustainability Dates for 2024

Two books you should buy if you are engaged in the SDGs

Incoming UN President of the General Assembly's vision - Peace, Prosperity, Progress, And Sustainability