Facing Climate Anxiety With Visual Comedy: ‘World Without End’ Graphic Artist Christophe Blain

Jean-Marc
Jancovici
is
a
well-known
lecturer
in
France,
and
on
YouTube,
on
the
topics
of
energy
and
climate
change.
He
focuses
on
the
deep
history
and
interconnections
of
the
Earth’s
consumption
apparatus
–
how
things
are
made,
what
things
are
made
of,
how
energy
is
created,
distributed
and
burned,
and
how
the
energy
needs
of
the
future
should
be
met. 

Christophe
Blain
is
a
French
graphic
artist
known
for
his
humorous
historical
works,
most
notably

Weapons
of
Mass
Diplomacy.
But
a
few
years
ago,
he
was
struck
by
current
events
in
his
home
country.

“In
the
summer
of
2018,
there
were
severe
heat
waves,”
Blain
said.
“I
realized
they
were
linked
to
global
warming.
I
said
to
myself,
‘This
is
it,
we’re
here.’
I
was
very
anxious
for
a
year.”

He
began
talking
to
his
brother
to
see
what
could
be
done.
His
brother
had
been
following
Jancovici’s
lectures
for
more
than
ten
years,
and
recommended
that
Blain
watch
a
few
and
possibly
make
a
connection
with
Jancovici. 

“My
brother
told
me,
‘Make
an
album
(book)
with
Jean-Marc.’
I
immediately
replied,
‘I
know.
But
it’s
going
to
be
hard.’
He
said,
‘Do
you
have
a
choice?’
Five
minutes
later,
I
wrote
an
e-mail
to
Jean-Marc.”

The
result
of
this
meeting
of
minds
is

World
Without
End,
a
full-length
graphic
book
that
melds
Jancovici’s
words
with
Blain’s
vibrant
and
comical
illustrations
to
tell
the
story
of
energy:
where
we’ve
been,
and
where
we
might
be
headed.
It’s
a
long-form
book
version
of
one
of
his
lectures,
rich
in
data,
theory
and
commentary,
propelled
by
Blain’s
unique
method
of
visual
storytelling
in
which
a
reader
never
gets
lost
or
overwhelmed.
The
book
has
been
a
sensation
in
France,
selling
more
than
a
million
copies,
and
a
translated
version
has
been
released
in
the
U.S.

Blain
shared
some
answers
with
EcoWatch
via
e-mail. 

How
and
why
did
the
book
become
so
popular
in
France? 

On
social
networks,
I
noticed
that
the
people
who
followed
Jean-Marc
all
wanted
to
pass
on
his
thoughts
and
make
him
known.
As
if
it
were
a
vital
necessity.
I
felt
the
same
way. 

I
said
to
myself:
a
book
is
an
object
that’s
easier
to
transmit
than
a
conference.
You
can
take
your
time
to
fully
understand
what’s
at
stake.
What
happened
was
exactly
what
I’d
hoped:
the
people
who
read
it
wanted
to
give
it
away
and
pass
it
on. 

How
collaborative
was
the
illustration
/
text
process? 

We’d
meet
up
with
Jean-Marc,
and
he’d
use
his
courses,
his
conferences
and
the
research
he
was
doing
with
his
company,
Carbone
4.
I’d
ask
him
lots
of
questions,
we’d
comment
on
current
events,
and
I’d
take
lots
of
notes.
Then
I’d
work
alone
to
transform
my
notes
into
a
storyboard.
We’d
meet
up
again
and
correct
my
storyboard.
Then
we’d
start
again. 

What
kind
of
challenges
were
there
illustrating
the
topic
of
energy,
energy
history
and
climate? 

Jean-Marc
is
an
extraordinary
teacher.
He
uses
lots
of
poetic,
amusing
images
to
explain
sometimes
complex
concepts.
If
you
don’t
understand
one
image,
he
uses
another.
He
always
gets
it
right
in
the
end.
And
everything
becomes
luminous.
He
makes
you
smart. 

I
love
using
images
to
explain
sometimes
abstract
concepts.
I
do
it
a
lot
in
my
work.
I
love
drawing
crazy,
poetic
images,
a
bit
psychedelic,
to
talk
about
something
complex
and
subtle.
Jean-Marc
and
I
understand
each
other
very
well.
We
had
a
lot
of
fun
together. 

You
choose
visual
“comedy”
to
move
some
sections
forward
–
it
helps
to
move
through
some
quite
depressing
facts
–
how
did
you
manage
to
juxtapose
some
of
the
bleaker
facts
with
these
kind
of
cartoony
“jokes”?  

Because
I’m
a
funny
guy.
And
I
like
to
laugh
at
my
anxieties.
And
because
the
book
had
to
be
fun.
Always
fluid,
always
hyper-understandable.
This
album
is
about
serious,
complex
things.
But
I’ve
worked
very
hard
to
make
it
easy
to
read.

As
you
were
illustrating
the
book,
what
things
did
you
learn?

I
learned
a
lot
from
Jean-Marc’s
own
attitude.
He’s
been
fighting
this
battle
for
years.
His
patience,
energy
and
determination
fascinate
me.
I’d
often
get
angry
at
what
I
thought
was
idiotic
behavior,
in
the
face
of
the
challenges
facing
all
humanity.
Jean-Marc
brought
me
back
to
reason
and
patience,
not
to
waste
my
energy
in
anger
but
to
train
my
mind
to
find
the
right
arguments.

[embedded content]

What
did
you
learn
about
the
importance
of
energy? 

I’ve
learned
that
our
way
of
life,
even
if
we
don’t
see
it,
even
if
we
don’t
realize
it,
requires
a
colossal
use
of
energy,
of
the
Earth’s
resources.  

The
details
about
the
toothpaste
tube
and
the
smart
phone,
and
the
massive
apparatus
needed
to
create
these
ubiquitous
objects…
these
were
eye-opening
to
me.
How
did
you
feel
learning
that? 

I
felt
that
we
live
in
a
more
fragile
world
than
we
think.
That
many
details
of
our
daily
lives,
which
seem
obvious
and
unchanging,
can
disappear
faster
than
we
think.

Was
it
surprising
to
you
to
see
that
“organic”
is
just
a
label
that
really
has
little
impact
on
the
deep
underlying
problems
with
the
agricultural
industry? 

This
is
true
for
many
other
aspects.
We
live
on
heavy
industry.
A
few
organic
beans
are
a
good
thing.
But
you
have
to
look
at
the
whole
production
chain,
which
produces
for
the
masses,
for
millions
of
people,
using
colossal
resources.

How
was
this
book
“therapy”
for
you?
(On
page
133,
Blain
talks
about
his
recurring
dreams
of
a
nuclear
accident.)

Jean-Marc
told
me
that
once
you
start
looking
into
these
problems,
researching
and
working
on
them,
you
can’t
stop.
It’s
a
constant
therapy
through
action.
Understanding
is
the
first
and
most
important
step.
Even
if
you
don’t
know
how
to
act
right
away.
We
change
in
spite
of
ourselves.
We
look
at
our
surroundings
differently.
And
then,
little
by
little,
we
take
action,
in
our
daily
lives
or
on
a
wider
scale.

For
example,
we
gradually
stop
wanting
the
same
things.
You
organize
your
life
differently.
You
have
to
accept
that
this
is
a
step-by-step
process.
Not
a
radical
revolution
that
will
solve
all
problems.

Compared
to
your
other
work,
how
does
World
Without
End
fit
in? 

My
vision
of
the
world
is
different
and
I
can’t
go
back.
And
I’m
continuing
to
work
with
Jean-Marc.

Any
other
final
words? 

I
sincerely
hope
to
find
an
American
audience
who
will
welcome
us.
Not
just
because
it
would
bring
us
success,
but
obviously
because
the
USA
has
an
extremely
powerful
influence
on
the
world.
I’ve
traveled
there
several
times.
It’s
a
country
that
fascinates
me.