That public men publish falsehoods
Is nothing new. That America must accept
Like the historical republics corruption and empire
Has been known for years.
Be angry at the sun for setting
If these things anger you.
— Robinson Jeffers, “Be Angry at the Sun”
An opinion piece published July 4 in The Recorder presented us with facts that, since the 1960s, executives at Exxon Mobil were aware of the consequences of their industry as it pertained to climate change. With this knowledge, the piece argues, oil industry officials have purposely obfuscated the facts on climate science for over 50 years. They have misled the consumer and therefore should be held responsible.
All true.
What doesn’t come across is the responsibility of the individual as a consumer.
A corporation is not an autonomous monstrosity imposing its will on the populace. The relationship between corporation and consumer is co-dependant.
Companies have been open to persuasion, such as Henry Ford tactfully raising wages so his employees could afford the Model T. That’s nothing more than sound business sense.
The market responds to demand, to put it simply. And in recent history, the demand for oil has been sky-high. The oil age has given us prosperity never before seen in human history; to deny that is foolhardy.
With these petroleum comforts came a myriad of petroleum problems. These issues are not nefariously hidden by the oil industry; they’ve been in plain sight for the public to see since the beginning.
The public has seen it. In America, the modern environmental movement came into existence in the late ‘60s, following the ideas, action and policies of iconic naturalists, scientists, and politicians going back years. Public consciousness has been there, despite disinformation campaigns by the oil industry and others to counteract it.
But thinking about it accomplishes nothing. Global crude oil consumption is at 1.5 million barrels a day and is expected to rise, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration.
Whether it is home heating oil, diesel fuel, or plastics, rabid consumption continues. Reduce, reuse, recycle can only go so far. The conversation needs to start and end with I REFUSE.
There are, of course, a number of excuses, and they are manifest: extreme poverty of those unable to refuse a system imposed on them, as well as the fear of a collapse of the status quo.
A justification for our own inaction is putting the blame squarely on Exxon Mobil for keeping us in the dark. It is hip to pretend that these captains of industry have both a real and metaphorical gun to our heads.
The truth is they don’t. Blaming others is en vogue in 2016 and is a major weakness of activist movements in 2016. It’s time to accept responsibility. Susanne Moser, a leading climate change researcher, stated in a Daily (Los Angeles) Breeze article that California climate researchers sounded the alarm at a symposium with, ‘There’s no way out.” She disagreed.
“We need transformational change. We don’t need more studies as much as we need to communicate the urgency. We need to not debate forever,” Moser said.
Truthfully, this abrupt change is not likely to come, even from myself, despite how much it pains me to say it. There are, however, valiant attempts at finding alternatives. The slight decline in domestic crude oil usage in the US since 2008 owes as much to economic factors as it does the boom in renewable energy industries in recent years.
A focus should be on biodiesel. It’s a renewable fuel source derived mostly from recycled vegetable oil, perfectly compatible with current diesel engines used by our agricultural and transport equipment, as well as home oil heat systems.
Biodiesel is estimated to curb C02 emissions by as much as 86[percent. According to the EIA, on average 119 million gallons of biodiesel is produced per month, with 65 million sold pure and the other 60 sold as a blend with standard petroleum-based diesel fuel. That is a significant amount, and estimates expect the industry to see continued growth.
So, yes, let’s bring the oil companies to trial for knowingly being the roadrunner to our coyote and running us off an environmental cliff, but let us also take more responsibility for ourselves — and the planet. It’s not the other guy’s fault all the time. Radical change doesn’t happen overnight, but it needs to happen.
Let’s seek out our alternatives and squash out some of our more excessive behaviors and lifestyles.
To quote John Wesley Powell, a 19th-century geologist, “Years of drought and famine come, and years of flood and famine come, and the climate is not changed with dance, libation or prayer.”
Greene is an aspiring writer/journalist with a background in horticulture and construction. He is interested in politics, social justice, economics, the environment, sports, agriculture and his dog. He lives in Deerfield.