Graphic by Gabby Gagnon ‘24
By Helen Gloege ’23
Staff Writer
After its popularization in the 1990s by oil and gas company BP in a $250 million advertising campaign, the term “carbon footprint” has been heavily discussed, particularly around Earth Day. In 2004, as a response to BP’s campaign, the first carbon footprint calculator was invented. Since then, the Environmental Protection Agency and others have released other carbon footprint calculators, promoting individual responsibility in reducing personal carbon footprints.
The carbon footprint calculator can allow individuals to take action in response to the global crisis, but research shows changes made by reducing one’s carbon footprint may not be enough. A 2020 study from the University of Michigan said that households consuming less energy in some states than the national average weren’t counted due to the grid’s method of producing electricity canceling the difference. Even with recycling, over 90 percent of plastics in recycling bins don’t end up being recycled.
It is nearly impossible to have a sustainable carbon footprint as long as fossil fuels are the basis of our global energy system. Personal carbon footprints focus on individual behavior rather than the systemic and structural changes required for addressing climate change.
Since the late 1980s, 100 large oil and gas companies, including BP, have been responsible for around 70 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions. BP itself is responsible for over 34 billion metric tons of carbon emissions since 1965. An analysis of major oil companies including BP, Chevron, ConocoPhillips, ENI, Equinor, ExxonMobil, Occidental Petroleum, Repsol, Royal Dutch Shell and Total, between 2008-2019 revealed that none moved away from fossil fuels during the time frame of the study.
Instead, companies increased their natural gas production shares, and “not a single major oil or gas firm invested more than 0.1 percent of revenues into renewable energy,” the analysis found. BP even sold off its solar assets in 2011 due to financial difficulties in response to the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. Furthermore, major oil companies constructed new pipelines and production developments. BP and other companies have also taken part in greenwashing, the process of providing misleading information about how a company is supposedly more environmentally friendly.
Fossil fuel companies have also employed tactics to control the narrative around climate change. The oil firm ExxonMobil has known about climate change since the 1970s and led efforts to block measures to cut emissions. Yet, there was a point back in the 1970s when oil companies in the U.S. appeared to embrace renewable energy by viewing themselves as energy companies. That changed in the early 1990s due to a series of oil crises and changing governmental leadership.
A study from 2020 pointed out that across 86 countries, the richest 10 percent of the population consumed about 20 times more energy than the poorest 10 percent of the population. The rich have more options in how they spend their money. High consumers live in a system that enables and rewards consumption. Countries have been historically held responsible for greenhouse gas emissions, but richer and heavier polluting countries tend to back out of commitments. For the individual, products and energy consumption can be linked to an unsustainable or large portion of individuals.
A study from September 2020 found that efforts to get people to alter their personal behavior to battle climate change “decreased individuals’ willingness to take personal actions to reduce greenhouse gases, decreased willingness to support pro-climate candidates, reduced belief in the accelerated speed of climate change and decreased trust in climate scientists.”