Old News: Capitalists Destroying Planet for Profit, Blame Consumers
Let’s bury the problem, then gaslight the public!
So, if you didn’t hear the news last week (and I can’t honestly blame you if you didn’t, there’s a lot going on right now), the chief executive of ExxonMobil, Darren Woods, is blaming the public for climate change.
Let me repeat that. The CEO of a big oil company claimed that consumers, not fossil fuel companies, are primarily to blame for climate change. For perspective, ExxonMobil knew about climate change back in the 70s but actively buried that knowledge with a campaign to deflect responsibility away from fossil fuels. Now, after decades of climate change denial, they are saying that it’s too late to do anything, and also they’re not responsible after all.
The Guardian’s coverage has a quote along the lines of “this is like a drug kingpin blaming the drug users for the drug problem.” And yeah, it certainly feels that way, especially in light of Exxon’s big ol’ campaign to gaslight-gatekeep-girlboss their way to massive profits.
And yes, profits are the driving motivation here. While ExxonMobil could invest in green technology and take an active role in reducing the effects of greenhouse gasses on the global climate, helping reach our goals for 2050 CO2 reduction, they…
