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The whole “corporations are the real polluters” is absolute political nonsense that people lie to themselves about to justify their own lazy resistance to chang

The whole “corporations are the real polluters” is absolute political nonsense that people lie to themselves about to justify their own lazy resistance to change. It’s not like Shell pumps oil out of the ground because they think it’s fun, they do it because people buy the oil to transport themselves and heat their home. It’s not like coca-cola wakes up every morning and thinks “wow I wish there was more plastic litter” they make beverages that people purchase and drink. It’s not like steel companies just really get their giggles from turning rocks into liquid by using a ton of energy, they are making washing machines and stoves and trains that people use to live their life.

paulcole 3y ago
100% correct take and it’s no surprise you’re downvoted with no replies. I understand why people cry that “corporations are the problem” but I can’t believe that deep down they believe it.
- tonyedgecombe 3y ago
  It's not that surprising. Not only do they absolve themselves of any blame but they also get to point the finger at somebody else.
akamaka 3y ago
That’s not taking into account that there is a vast difference in how much pollution is emitted by different oil producers during extraction and refining. Some companies have invested into cleaning up their operations, while dirtier oil sources emit a full 1/3rd of their total pollution before the fuel even arrives at the gas pump.
jabradoodle 3y ago
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/ExxonMobil_climate_change_denial https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/ExxonMobil_climate_change_de...
whelp_24 3y ago
The personal responsibility theory of pollution was made up by these corporations you are defending. The reason that companies make products is to sell them yes. But the reason the products are made in polluting ways and with essentially unrecylable materials is cost cutting. Regulate industries to use the more expensive but less impactful production methods, and you find that pollution will actually go down in a way that matters. Tell individuals to stop buying plastic bottles and you'll get a subset of the middle to upper class to somewhat comply. Make plastic bottles illegal (or at least mandate that the company buy them back to really recycle) and the problem becomes moot, it's not like individuals can make plastic. Same for fuel, waste disposal, etc, etc. The only thing consumers could do is buy less, but life makes that rather hard. The companies that you are trying to absolve lobby to make that harder.
- paulcole 3y ago
  > The only thing consumers could do is buy less, but life makes that rather hard Spoiler alert, life is going to get rather hard for a whole lot of people over the next few generations because we’ve been ignoring “the personal responsibility theory of pollution.”
  - piva00 3y ago
    Personal responsibility has very likely never, ever solved a single instance of a systemic issue. I'd gladly accept even one example.

paulcole 3y ago

100% correct take and it’s no surprise you’re downvoted with no replies. I understand why people cry that “corporations are the problem” but I can’t believe that deep down they believe it.

tonyedgecombe 3y ago
It's not that surprising. Not only do they absolve themselves of any blame but they also get to point the finger at somebody else.

akamaka 3y ago

That’s not taking into account that there is a vast difference in how much pollution is emitted by different oil producers during extraction and refining. Some companies have invested into cleaning up their operations, while dirtier oil sources emit a full 1/3rd of their total pollution before the fuel even arrives at the gas pump.

jabradoodle 3y ago

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/ExxonMobil_climate_change_denial https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/ExxonMobil_climate_change_de...

whelp_24 3y ago

The personal responsibility theory of pollution was made up by these corporations you are defending. The reason that companies make products is to sell them yes. But the reason the products are made in polluting ways and with essentially unrecylable materials is cost cutting. Regulate industries to use the more expensive but less impactful production methods, and you find that pollution will actually go down in a way that matters. Tell individuals to stop buying plastic bottles and you'll get a subset of the middle to upper class to somewhat comply. Make plastic bottles illegal (or at least mandate that the company buy them back to really recycle) and the problem becomes moot, it's not like individuals can make plastic. Same for fuel, waste disposal, etc, etc. The only thing consumers could do is buy less, but life makes that rather hard. The companies that you are trying to absolve lobby to make that harder.

paulcole 3y ago
> The only thing consumers could do is buy less, but life makes that rather hard Spoiler alert, life is going to get rather hard for a whole lot of people over the next few generations because we’ve been ignoring “the personal responsibility theory of pollution.”
- piva00 3y ago
  Personal responsibility has very likely never, ever solved a single instance of a systemic issue. I'd gladly accept even one example.