The origin story of the Bureau of Environmental Security is rooted in the history of industrial pollution and climate change. This narrative told in a comic-book style helps you understood the role of BES in healing the planet.
Panel 1
Saving Planet Earth: The Story of the Bureau of Environmental Security. We thought the world had ended.
Panel 2
The event called “The Spike” released millions of tons of methane into the atmosphere. It caused an almost instant rise in global temperatures. Methane is one of the most potent greenhouse gases, which blocks heat from escaping into space. An accident during an attempt to mine methyl hydrate deposits on the ocean floor caused the global disaster. The Spike nearly melted the world.
Panel 3
My name is Katelyn Morris. I’m a public information officer for the Bureau of Environmental Security. I’d like to tell you the story of the BES, our mission, and what we do. (She’s in front of the BES Pacific West Headquarters, Eugene, Ore.)
Panel 4
In the years after the Spike, the world debated how to prevent another disaster. Leaders signed a new treaty. World leaders sign the Port Vila Treaty in Vanuatu. The Treaty created the Bureau of Environmental Security.
Panel 5
The Port Vila Treaty required each country to pass what are collectively known as the Carbon Laws. These laws ban fossil fuels for transportation and generating electricity. It was hard, but we did it!
Panel 6
By the end of the five-year transition, more than 95 percent of electricity is generated by renewables. The Carbon Laws encouraged farmer to apply fertilizers made without petroleum, and use special feeds to reduce methane emissions from animals.
Panel 7
Not everyone follows the Carbon Laws. Still a valuable commodity, thieves steal oil stored underground. They sell it to smugglers, who transport it to secret refineries in remote locations. The Bureau has teams of investigators who disrupt thieves and smuggling operations.
Panel 8
Smugglers often force local people in remote areas to refine the illegal oil, causing illnesses, pollution, and sometimes deaths. The BES is empowered to override local authorities if inspectors shows that they are ignoring the ban on fossil fuels.
Panel 9
The accused are arraigned and tried before a judge at the Environmental Crimes Tribunal. The Port Vila Treaty set up a court to try environmental criminals. BES prosecutors can bring charges of species endangerment, habitat destruction, as well as illegal fossil fuel smuggling and refining.
Panel 10
The Earth is slowly healing from the era of fossil fuels. I’m proud to serve in this role at the BES. I believe in our motto, Terra supra omnia, “Earth above all”. I hope you’ll join me on this journey toward a healthy planet.
A production of the BES Public Engagement Office and BES Gear.