Sledding Down a Slippery Slope

This artwork is about the consequences of soybean production, which provides cheap feed for the fast-food industry, in an area called the Cerrado. The Cerrado is located in Central Brazil and has the richest biodiversity of any savannah in the world. Savannahs are characterized by wild grass, shrubs, and small trees. Deforestation has moved from the Amazon rainforest into the Cerrado. Native plants have deep roots. When they are destroyed by the mono crop of soybeans, the soil dries out. The process of evapotranspiration is interrupted, whereby plants and trees normally take in ground water and release the moisture through leaves, creating atmospheric moisture. There is less rainfall. This results in an increase in local average temperature and susceptibility to drought. A hotter atmosphere creates more intense storms. In this digital print called Sledding Down a Slippery Slope, the soybean plant is drawn in the corner and evolves into storm clouds in the center of the composition. The survival of our ecosystems is at stake.