Old News: Capitalists Destroying Planet for Profit, Blame Consumers

Summary

The CEO of ExxonMobil, Darren Woods, has shifted the blame for climate change onto consumers, despite the company's historical knowledge and denial of the issue, prioritizing profits over investment in green technology and dismissing activist shareholders' calls for environmental responsibility.

Abstract

In a recent statement, ExxonMobil's CEO Darren Woods has placed the responsibility for climate change on consumers rather than his company, which has been aware of climate change since the 1970s. Despite the urgency of addressing climate change, Woods has expressed that investing in green technology is not profitable enough for ExxonMobil, indicating a preference for maintaining high returns for investors. This stance has been criticized as a form of gaslighting, with the company's history of climate denial and profit-driven motives being highlighted. The situation underscores the broader failure of American capitalism, where companies prioritize shareholder profits over the well-being of the planet and other stakeholders, leading to systemic issues such as abuse of power, environmental degradation, and a lack of ethical consumer choices.

Opinions

The author views ExxonMobil's stance on climate change as a deflection of responsibility, akin to a drug kingpin blaming drug users for the drug problem.
There is a strong opinion that ExxonMobil's leadership is more concerned with generating returns for investors than taking meaningful action to combat climate change.
The article suggests that the company's CEO, Darren Woods, is dismissive of activist investors and their push for green technology, considering their efforts as an ideology rather than a necessary response to climate change.
The author criticizes the broader American capitalist system for enabling corporations to prioritize profits over ethical practices, environmental sustainability, and the welfare of future generations.
The piece implies that the current capitalist model in America is fundamentally broken, as it allows for practices such as the use of slave labor, union suppression, and environmental pollution without significant reper

Let’s bury the problem, then gaslight the public!

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 simply won’t because it isn’t profitable enough.

Literally, one of the quotes from the CEO is that they don’t “see the ability to generate above-average returns for investors” from green technology. “We recognize a need for that. We just don’t see that as an appropriate use of ExxonMobil’s capabilities,” Woods continued.

In reference to activist investors who are trying to push ExxonMobil to further pursue green tech, this is what Woods had to say:

“We want to cater to the shareholders who are real investors, who have an interest in seeing this company succeed in generating return on their investments…We don’t feel a responsibility to activists that hijack that process…and frankly, abuse it to advance an ideology.”

So let me get this straight. Darren Woods, a man who is pushing 60 at this point and may not even live long enough to see the repercussions of his words and actions, who is paid in excess of $20 million dollars per year and can afford to ride it out if he does live that long, wants to generate higher returns for his company’s investors and doesn’t want activists to advance an “ideology.”

To be clear, the “ideology” in question here is saving the planet from potential disaster and destruction. Climate change is real, and the vast majority of scientists (to the tune of 99% or so) agree on this fact. Reversing climate change, or at least slowing its progress, is imperative if we want future generations to have a planet to call home.

And this guy. This dumb-ass motherfucker. He is much more interested in generating returns for his investors than he is in *checks notes* saving the goddamn planet from potential doom.

This. This is one of many proofs of the absolute and abject failure of American capitalism. Our companies have an imperative to make as much money for their shareholders as possible without any regard for their other stakeholders — employees, consumers, and the planet at large.

The result: abuse of their power at the expense of everyone else. We as consumers have no ethical choices remaining in our purchases. Anything we buy or do has the fingerprints of unfettered, predatory, crony capitalism all over it.

Whether it’s using slave labor, covering up their use of slave labor, actively fighting and forcibly shutting down unions over the past decades, or blaming workers for “not wanting to work,” capitalism in America is fundamentally broken. And, what’s worse, there is a ton of proof to back up that notion which lots of people either don’t know about or conveniently ignore.

Oh, and when these capitalists get caught cheating on taxes, stealing wages from their workers, polluting the environment, or otherwise engaging in illegal practices, they won’t be held accountable in any real way. Paying big fines to the government is just part of business — it’s cheaper to cut corners and pay fines when (and if) they are caught then it is to just do things legally in the first place.

The people in charge of these companies, the shareholders that benefit from those companies, and the billionaires who prop up this system by lining the pockets of our congressional representatives all benefit from this system. As such, they have absolutely no interest in changing it to benefit us, nor do they have any interest in changing their business practices to benefit anyone but themselves.

We as the consumers will pay the price of the system that they created to favor them and them alone, and the planet will pay the ultimate price in the end. Still, as long as they have power, money, and a platform, they’ll find a way to deflect the blame away from themselves and onto any convenient target. Their sole job is to make profits for their companies and shareholders, after all.

Why should they care if the planet burns? They got theirs, so screw everyone else.

Be well out there.

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