Change the Narrative: Corporations and Climate Change

The day after I turned eighteen, I participated in a citywide climate strike. Along with over a hundred students from my high school, I walked out of class onto the field outside our school to protest stronger action from our government to combat climate change. We then joined thousands of other students from around the city at City Hall to make our voices heard on the issue. This wasn’t my first encounter with environmental activism, but it prompted me to probe further into the climate change movement. I discovered that a large portion of the movement’s narrative pushes the idea that it is the individual’s responsibilities to save the planet from environmental catastrophe.  

There are countless stories in the news and posts on social media calling for people to forgo the use of plastic straws, bags, and other single-use items. In particular, the anti-plastic straw movement caught my attention. The movement began in 2015 when a video of a sea turtle with a straw up its nose went viral. And while this movement has been admirable, it distracts from the more dire issues that lie underneath the surface. According to a 2018 study in Scientific Reports, plastic straws account for just 3% of the plastic that enters the ocean every year while 46% of the plastic in the Great Pacific Garbage Patch consists of fishing nets discarded by the seafood and fishing industry. 

This is simply one example of the way the current movement places majority responsibility on individuals to fix the planet. Add the popular call to “fix this for future generations”, which is meant to appeal to our familial love and responsibility, and you have a story that redirects the culpability for this disaster from giant corporations to single persons.

This damaging narrative needs to shift and the corporations that are responsible for most of the pollution on the planet need to be held responsible. It can no longer only be an individual’s prerogative to save the planet. That responsibility needs to be shifted to the companies that, for years, have fueled the climate change denial movement and to the industries that dump tons of pollutants into the air, earth, and water every year.

ExxonMobil, one of the largest gas and oil companies in the world, knew as early as 1981 of the relationship between fossil fuels and climate change. In 1982, scientists hired by Exxon itself surfaced with research stating that what Exxon planned to do with regards to fossil fuel extraction would raise sea levels, increase droughts, and warm the climate. However, because the prices of oil were decreasing at the time, the executives at Exxon decided to ignore the findings and focus instead on growing the business and making profit. 

In the 1980s, an internal memo at Exxon was released saying that the company needed to start emphasizing “the uncertainty around scientific data concerning climate change.” This was the planting of the seed for what has grown to be known as climate change denial. In 1997, Lee Raymond, the CEO of Exxon at the time, stated in a presentation that according to the company’s science, the earth was cooling. This was a blatant lie, as evident by earlier research produced by Exxon’s own scientists. Since the first memo came out, the company has spent over $30 million funding think tanks and research to promote climate change denial. It was only in July 2015 that Exxon told The Guardian that it now acknowledges climate change and no longer funds climate denial groups.

According to the 2017 Carbon Majors Report, more than half of global greenhouse gas emissions since 1988 can be traced to twenty-five corporate and state-owned entities. Exxon, Chevron, Shell, and BP have been identified as some of the companies with the highest emissions. These companies need to be held accountable for the damage they are doing to the environment. Their business models need to be radically altered if they want to help the planet like they say they do. They can help to diversify the energy sector and start investing more in renewable energy sources, including solar, wind, and hydro power, even if most of their product currently derives from fossil fuels. 

The world is moving steadily towards clean energy alternatives and the companies that have been polluting it for decades need to step up and choose the planet over their profit.

There are companies such as Google, Ikea, Apple, and Facebook that have committed to 100% renewable energy under the RE100 initiative. Oil companies have started investing in green energy. Shell set up a renewables arm in 2015 with a $1.7 billion investment. According to spokespersons for the respective companies who spoke to The Guardian, Chevron is “committed to managing its emissions,” and BP is “investing in renewables and low-carbon innovation.” However, the pace of change is no longer enough, and these companies face extinction within the next several years if they do not revolutionize their business models, according to Paul Stevens, a fellow at the think tank Chatham House.

This isn’t to say that individual action doesn’t benefit the planet. But the reality of the situation is that the monumental progress necessary to save the planet cannot be made without drastic change from multinational companies. In a way, this is where individuals can take action. There is great tension between short-term profits for the companies and an urgent need to reduce emissions. Thus, if consumers, the people who provide companies with the profits they so desperately desire, decide to withdraw their support, both monetary and ideological, then perhaps the companies will be motivated to change their policies. The world is moving steadily towards clean energy alternatives and the companies that have been polluting it for decades need to step up and choose the planet over their profit.

This is where our lawmakers can step in. Changing the narrative is one step, but there needs to be concrete action to reinforce a new narrative. We need policymakers to step up and put into effect vigorous legislation that’ll push corporations to reduce their emissions and invest in clean energy. Bipartisan and international collaboration will be required. If national and international bodies can come together to create legislation that incentivizes companies to reduce pollution, then we’ll stand a chance at passing on this planet on to future generations.