Love In Flames

The background photo was taken when wildfires raged across Los Angeles in January 2025, killing 31 people and levelling thousands of buildings. The fires were caused by environmental factors like drought and severe wind gusts, compounded by human choices around water supplies, urban planning, and firefighting budget cuts. In contrast, the caption is an adaption of the classic “what if we kissed…” template from the deep-fried meme era of the late 2010s and the happy absurdity popular at the time. Together, the elements create a nostalgic sense of joyful irreverence juxtaposed with the disaster; finding a little whimsy in the face of desolation.

The image carries implicit political messaging. First, calling it the “climate change” Mcdonalds shows the creator accepts the science-based premise that the climate is changing and that the symptoms of this change are at least partially responsible for the wildfire. I wish this belief was so universal I didn’t need to mention it. Second, linking a burning McDonalds and climate change becomes a metaphor of our capitalist system itself. The modes and mechanisms of our overconsumption, such as beef farming for quarter-pounder patties, are wasteful and will eventually lead to the degradation of the natural systems on which they are built.

On a personal level, I am filled with dread by the overwhelming evidence for climate change and the horrific projections for what the future holds. When my wife and I talk about having a baby, I cannot keep myself from imaging them living a life of scarcity and struggle. I worry what terrible future we all are rushing toward. Yet, this image gives me a spark of hope: The belief, deluded as it may be, that somehow the normal working class people will find a way to beat the climate collapse odds, if only we hold on to love.

Maybe one day soon it will be me behind the camera. I will stand before the flaming ruins of my neighbourhood McDonalds with my young family and watch as the infrastructure of our lives crumbles. But if that is the future I end up living, I’ll make sure to kiss my wife one last time before we burn.