4 ms·

What would you have done about it, if you were the CEO of Exxon in 1982?

by lacker 7y ago

munk-a 7y ago
Why was the CEO of Exxon allowed to do this in 1982? And why didn't the government fund science to figure this out first?
- nostrademons 7y ago
  The government knew about it, as did most of the population. Al Gore sponsored the first congressional hearings on climate change in 1976, and I remember putting on a play about environmental issues (including global warming) in 4th grade (1990). It's very difficult to rally people around a problem until they see tangible evidence of it in their own lives. Global warming was an abstraction in the 80s; we knew it was happening, we knew it would have a big impact, but we were too busy trying not to get nuked by the Soviets (or rather, trying to make them think we were gonna nuke them so they bankrupted themselves). In a democracy you can't get political support for policies until a majority of people agree with you. When it comes to giant systems like the environment, that's too late. There are probably a number of other problems that can see right now that we are doing nothing about - trust pollution (where you have no idea what's true anymore), mass migration (which I guess we're doing something about, but that "something" is putting kids in cages), erosion of the rule of law, potential infectious diseases, a looming demographic crisis, etc. But all of these are too big to wrap our head around a solution until they become a crisis - we're too busy dealing with climate change - and so they'll just blow up society and we'll be left to pick up the pieces.
- inscionent 7y ago
  He was the CEO of Exxon. He had economic power. He used it. Why would the government bother? The experts from the companies who helped get them elected told them it wasn't a problem. > In 1981, he was appointed to President Ronald Reagan's National Productivity Advisory Committee and later served on the President's Private Sector Survey on Cost Control.[6] He served as Chairman of The Business Council in 1983 and 1984. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clifton_C._Garvin https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clifton_C._Garvin
- okmokmz 7y ago
  Because the government doesn't care about our well being, safety, desires, environment, etc. As long as they can keep their money and power there's no need for them to step in
- scruple 7y ago
  Here's [0] a video that was recorded in 1958 that was prescient wrt anthropogenic global warming. The video calls out that we could detect atmospheric temperature rise and highlights that one of the theories of the day was the release of carbon dioxide gas. [0]: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m-AXBbuDxRY https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m-AXBbuDxRY
adrianN 7y ago
Start a lobbying campaign to enact a carbon tax or a similar scheme and invest heavily in renewable and nuclear energy.
inscionent 7y ago
I would enjoy my Champagne, Yacht and life of luxury. Fully knowing that I was for all real purposes untouchable. > Clifton C. Garvin Jr. - CEO > Served on the boards of directors of Georgia Pacific, Chevron, Citicorp, Citibank, Johnson and Johnson, J.C. Penney, PepsiCo, Inc, Sperry Corporation, and TRW Inc. > 1982 Exxon celebrates 100 years since the formation of the Standard Oil Trust in 1882. In its first 100 years, the company evolved from a domestic refiner and distributor of kerosene to a large multinational corporation, involved at every level of oil and gas exploration, production, refining and marketing, and petrochemicals manufacturing. > 'There is no wad of cash like this anywhere on earth,' said Jack Blum, a Washington energy lawyer and former Senate investigator. 'This is a wad of cash to break banks, even governments.' https://www.nytimes.com/1982/05/09/business/the-singular-power-of-a-giant-called-exxon.html https://www.nytimes.com/1982/05/09/business/the-singular-pow...

What would you have done about it, if you were the CEO of Exxon in 1982?

by lacker 7y ago

What would you have done about it, if you were the CEO of Exxon in 1982?

Why was the CEO of Exxon allowed to do this in 1982? And why didn't the government fund science to figure this out first?

nostrademons 7y ago
The government knew about it, as did most of the population. Al Gore sponsored the first congressional hearings on climate change in 1976, and I remember putting on a play about environmental issues (including global warming) in 4th grade (1990). It's very difficult to rally people around a problem until they see tangible evidence of it in their own lives. Global warming was an abstraction in the 80s; we knew it was happening, we knew it would have a big impact, but we were too busy trying not to get nuked by the Soviets (or rather, trying to make them think we were gonna nuke them so they bankrupted themselves). In a democracy you can't get political support for policies until a majority of people agree with you. When it comes to giant systems like the environment, that's too late. There are probably a number of other problems that can see right now that we are doing nothing about - trust pollution (where you have no idea what's true anymore), mass migration (which I guess we're doing something about, but that "something" is putting kids in cages), erosion of the rule of law, potential infectious diseases, a looming demographic crisis, etc. But all of these are too big to wrap our head around a solution until they become a crisis - we're too busy dealing with climate change - and so they'll just blow up society and we'll be left to pick up the pieces.
inscionent 7y ago
He was the CEO of Exxon. He had economic power. He used it. Why would the government bother? The experts from the companies who helped get them elected told them it wasn't a problem. > In 1981, he was appointed to President Ronald Reagan's National Productivity Advisory Committee and later served on the President's Private Sector Survey on Cost Control.[6] He served as Chairman of The Business Council in 1983 and 1984. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clifton_C._Garvin https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clifton_C._Garvin
okmokmz 7y ago
Because the government doesn't care about our well being, safety, desires, environment, etc. As long as they can keep their money and power there's no need for them to step in
scruple 7y ago
Here's [0] a video that was recorded in 1958 that was prescient wrt anthropogenic global warming. The video calls out that we could detect atmospheric temperature rise and highlights that one of the theories of the day was the release of carbon dioxide gas. [0]: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m-AXBbuDxRY https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m-AXBbuDxRY

adrianN 7y ago

Start a lobbying campaign to enact a carbon tax or a similar scheme and invest heavily in renewable and nuclear energy.

inscionent 7y ago

I would enjoy my Champagne, Yacht and life of luxury. Fully knowing that I was for all real purposes untouchable. > Clifton C. Garvin Jr. - CEO > Served on the boards of directors of Georgia Pacific, Chevron, Citicorp, Citibank, Johnson and Johnson, J.C. Penney, PepsiCo, Inc, Sperry Corporation, and TRW Inc. > 1982 Exxon celebrates 100 years since the formation of the Standard Oil Trust in 1882. In its first 100 years, the company evolved from a domestic refiner and distributor of kerosene to a large multinational corporation, involved at every level of oil and gas exploration, production, refining and marketing, and petrochemicals manufacturing. > 'There is no wad of cash like this anywhere on earth,' said Jack Blum, a Washington energy lawyer and former Senate investigator. 'This is a wad of cash to break banks, even governments.' https://www.nytimes.com/1982/05/09/business/the-singular-power-of-a-giant-called-exxon.html https://www.nytimes.com/1982/05/09/business/the-singular-pow...