Corporations vs. Consumers

April 2023

Mathilda Tsai

Standing in the shower, you close your eyes as you enjoy the warm water streaming down your back. It’s been a stressful day, and a hot shower is the ultimate consolation. By the time you’ve had at least three shower thoughts and washed your hair, it’s been nearly ten minutes. In the back of your mind, you know you should get out to conserve water, and help combat climate change, and save the planet… but the shower feels too nice.

Just five more minutes, you think. After all, what difference could five minutes of my time make?

This is a scene that has surely played out thousands of times around the world. Though taking shorter showers is one of the most commonly mentioned actions individuals can take to combat climate change, just how much of a difference can it make? Are those extra five minutes spent in the bathroom truly accelerating our planet’s deterioration?

The answer is no.

But also, yes.

Contrary to public opinion, the majority of greenhouse gas emissions and the resulting consequences to the earth are not caused by individual consumers. Rather, the main agents behind climate change are large corporations. Nearly 71% of the world’s gas emissions since 1988 can be traced back to 100 companies, most of which are involved in oil, gas, and coal. Of those 100 companies, the top 25 are responsible for over half of those emissions. These corporations include Exxon Mobil, Shell, Chevron, and the Saudi Arabian Oil Group. With these overwhelming statistics, one would think that far more emphasis would be placed on forcing these corporations to change their ways. However, this is not the case.

Ever since the general public became aware of climate change, solutions have consistently been pushed upon individual consumers, revolving around daily habits and everyday actions. Examples are eating less meat, taking shorter showers, carpooling and taking public transportation, and buying sustainable products. But with little immediate incentive or gratification, these actions rarely continue for long periods of time. Many people might also argue that such actions are futile in the face of 100 companies producing such large amounts of gas emissions.

But even if saving those five minutes in the shower is useless, we—the individual consumers—are the ones demanding and using the fossil fuels those corporations produce. While we may not be responsible for the production of fossil fuels, we are responsible for its perpetuation.

Emissions directly caused by production only account for around 10% of those corporations’ fossil fuel emissions, while 90% come from the repeated consumer use of those products. So even if corporations continue to generate mass amounts of pollution without regard for the environment, individuals from all parts of society must participate in making the world a better place.

Perhaps it still seems like a pointless effort to turn off the lights and the air conditioning, to reuse and recycle, to avoid single-use plastics, and to spend less time washing your hair. Then again, the exact reason it is pointless is because that is how the large majority of people think. If most of the population believes these little actions are meaningless, then how are they meant to create meaningful change?

No matter how futile you may believe it to be, take these actions. Do your best to reduce your energy usage and waste. With this final and sole chance we have at life, make your best effort to preserve our only home.