Global Warming and Industrialization Problems in The Lorax

The Lorax was avid about saving the environment and it was his sole mission to make the ‘glorious place’, glorious and abundant with life. The Once-Ler comes and ruins the habitat for many of the inhabitants including: the Barbuluts, the humming fish, and the Truffula Trees who are forced out of the ‘glorious place’ because of the pollution caused by making the Thneeds. The Once-ler represents industrialists who care little for the environment and want to earn as much profit as possible. The Once-ler comes to symbolize industrialists aiding in the destruction of a “once” beautiful and full of life, this movie gives a clear message of how global warming, pollution, and habitat destruction are the effects of industrialization. 

The Lorax was made to warn audiences of how industrialization can have major effects on animal habitats and can many times lead to their extinction from the amount of gases being released that aid in global warming. In short, Global warming is a term to describe “warming that results when the atmosphere traps heat radiating from Earth toward space” aided by human activities such as making room for agriculture means and industrial companies making profit on products made from machinery. Industrialization is a “move from an agrarian mode of living to one in which technological innovations is dominant”. For humans, it thrives in the market and is an innovation that progresses movement in companies, but it quickly destroys habitats and aids in the recent decrease of animal populations. The decrease is shown in many animals, including polar bears and coral, and according to the UN's Intergovernmental Panel who suspect “that many life-forms are moving north or into deeper waters to survive as their habitats shift” due to climate change and the introduction of unnecessary human actions that are driving animals to extinction. In the 1800’s century there was an introduction to machines and it was an era of progressive movement for companies looking to make a profit from their product. Problem was the amount of greenhouse gases being emitted into the atmosphere making it impossible to live in and be at risk for serious health problems. 

In the Lorax, it depicted animals becoming sickly and unable to live in such a treacherous environment because of the changing temperatures and state that industrialization brought to the glorious place. It became toxic and polluted, and the amount of waste being dumped was unnecessary, but in order to “biggering and biggering” the Once-ler’s business he needed to have the latest and fastest technology to drive his market. These greenhouse gases include the burning of fossil fuels from machinery of his business that made the air concentration unbearable and the amount of carbon dioxide was insurmountable. This constant emission creates significant amounts of air pollution with sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxides, and soot as the main materials being emitted once a machinery is constantly in motion and animals in exposure to these In time, it will just get worse, it is an impossible phenomenon to stop completely. Society needs to be conscientious of what goes into the atmosphere and help decrease the fast increase in global temperatures and help cease the amount of pollutants that are released everyday from selfish actions of individuals. Pollution is defined as “the introduction of harmful materials into the environment”, and comes from industrialization and other human means. This mean of destruction stems from how irresponsible industrialists are and accounts for a recent increase in global temperatures. Little do they know that all their machinery releases pollutants into the air; such as Carbon dioxide. 

In the Lorax, students were able to see first hand how the materials from the environment are also misused and thrown away. The Thneeds were made from the Truffula trees that were only used for the fluff it produced and all the other materials were thrown away and not reused. This misuse accounted for the lake being polluted with the Once-ler’s machine that “chugs on, day and night without stopping, making gluppity-glup. Also schloppity-schlopp” forcing the humming fish out of their environment. It is more than a storyline for young children, this book is a force of nature that exposes industries of how they are contaminating the planet with every product made. For example, in the 1800’s the Industrial Revolution was thought to be one of the best eras economically, but not environmentally. The industrial revolution accounted for the air and water pollution at that time, and many environmentalists saw a sudden decrease in life that was once thriving. Even humans were suffering, London specifically saw that the pollution from the amount of coal being burned killed over 4,000 people over only a few weeks. Effects worsened and killed people by asphyxiation in more parts of the world. In order to cease the damage that was done, acts passed by congress tried to reverse the effects of a smog filled land. The Clean Air Act in 1963 tried to “fix” the effects that air pollution was causing such as asthma attacks, respiratory problems, irregular heartbeats, strokes, and premature births that became so prominent that it could even shorten one's life. 

Pollution is one of the biggest outbreaks and the most deadly of them, it stems from things used on a daily basis: such as gas stoves, cars, and products that many own from industrial plants. Of the topics discussed habitat destruction is a result of pollution and a side effect is global warming . Habitats are “the physical, chemical and biological systems that support living things (i.e. plants, animals, fungi and microbes)”. When a pollutant enters a biological system, a habitat is affects life surrounding the environment. It's like a domino effect, the pollutant is the force in which pushes the first domino and all the pieces fall down with it. From the rising pollution rates caused by human intervention these areas affected are known as ‘dead zone’ where no life flourishes and it is a place where it consumed with the direct effects of pollution and misuse of industrial activities. In the movie, the Once-ler does not realize that cutting the trees down affects all life that grow in the ‘glorious place’, the barbaloots eat the fruit that grows on the Truffula Trees as a source of nutrition. As soon as there were no more trees, the baruluts were forced to find a new sanctuary where they could continue to live. The Lorax warned the Once-ler, but he chose to disregard advice that would ruin the success of his business. He was naive to think that the effects of the smog and constant use of machinery would not deteriorate the once thriving ‘glorious place’ and it did just that quickly and slowly suffering the inhabitants. It soon became a place where no life wanted to be, and it was just the Once-ler remembering his wrongdoing and agonizing in the filth he created. Habitat destruction is one of the many themes and it is important to discuss, because it is happening now. Companies do not realize that the products that are producing at fast rates need oil to work properly, but in return the environment is adversely affected and animal and plant life deteriorate as a result. The Once-ler bathes in the filth he created and it makes him remember the Lorax begging him to cease the progression of the Thneed business. 

The Lorax at the end left an unfinished thought, “unless” to represent that the Lorax left without finishing his “business” of keeping a thriving environment. Unless one has the force to change, no one will change.This is the message that he was trying to convey to Once-ler, he was not going to change because he wanted the money and riches that came from making the Thneeds. As a result, the Oncler created a place full of pollution that resulted in habitat destruction. 

This story pays homage to industrialists and how they account for global warming, their actions destroy habitats, animals, and plants without realizing the damage done. This story line has the power more words could say, because of how the ‘glorious place’ represents the world, and how one person could affect the entire population in a split second and the constant use of machines could force life out of their habitats, leaving them to die. This issue is so important as industrialists and consumers do not realize that the products made and produced everyday affects the entire world. This is not meant to cease using consumer products, but simply being conscientious when using a force that could destroy the life of an animal.