I sat down today intending to write about the similarities between the tobacco industry and the fossil fuel industry. I’ve been digging into the 1982 Exxon Memo and the deliberate strategies ExxonMobil used to muddy the climate change science which are eerily reminiscent of tobacco companies denying the dangers of cigarettes.
My question was going to be: what can we learn by studying the tobacco industry’s tactics to help us figure out how to push positive climate change policy and action faster now? Because clearly how we talk about smoking has changed worldwide – we are far away from the Marlboro man advertisements – just as far away as we need to get from our reliance on fossil fuels. So, certainly we can use it as a model for positive end results.
But in the middle of the development of that thought, I found myself in a deep dive down a rabbit hole that led to me skimming sections of Project 2025 that included climate change. And because apparently, I like to raise my own blood pressure, my search somehow detoured into researching “climate havens” and comparing them with coastal risk tools to see which climate havens will be safe after sea level rise. Oh boy!
Was it procrastination? ADHD? Or does this fall under the category of research?
Whatever it was, it was not good for my mental health!
By the time I resurfaced, I was left circling back to one thing I had seen on a climate organization’s website that I just could not shake. It was a Gen Z member promoting the organization and explaining why she joined. As part of her statement, she said that her personal actions had no effect on climate change. She gave the example of plastic straws – and that not using one makes no difference. She seemed to imply that her frustration justified both her activism and her continued straw use. And that until big businesses and government implemented laws and regulations, she was just going to continue using her single-use plastic straw. Basically, she was going to focus her efforts on advocating for the elimination of plastic straws while she continued to use one.
Need I say more?
I know this seems like a far reach from the idea that I started with for this blog, but it will all make sense – I think – if you keep reading! And maybe even forget about the connection, because it is just that important! What I am stuck on here is a problem with integrity.
What happened to the world where there is right and wrong? Principled and unethical. Truthful and dishonest. Is it that we have been so inundated with hyperbole and propaganda that we have drifted further and further away from what is important? Something weird has certainly been happening and it has been in play for the last few decades.
Regardless, I cannot put climate action into a vacuum, and I certainly cannot live in a way that is unauthentic – even if it means that I have to represent an idea that is unpopular – like personal responsibility versus legislation, government action, policies, and regulations.
In my life before this, I spent a lot of time in business meetings and heard quite often that “business law is not principle-based.” And maybe someday I need to write a bit more about that because the world could use us all to get back to a place where everything is principle-based. I personally can’t not be. Even if my choices feel tiny or symbolic, they matter because they reflect who I am and what I stand for – and good or bad, it is ingrained in me either genetically or through my upbringing. And honestly, that’s exactly what our struggle with climate change needs from us all right now: principle.
Yes, of course, we absolutely need sweeping government policy and systemic change. I do not disagree with that. Without it, we won’t hit the scale or the speed that survival demands. But that does not excuse us from living sustainably in our daily lives. It does not excuse us from showing up with a reusable cup, skipping the plastic water bottle, eating less meat, bringing our own containers, and not using that single-use plastic straw. Argh!
These actions are not about whether my single cup will turn the tide of climate change. They are about whether I am living with integrity in a world on fire. Because if I say I believe in climate change – and I do – then I cannot hand-wave away my own responsibility. If we all wait for governments and businesses to fix it, then we’ve essentially said: our values are negotiable.
And they certainly are not!
So, wouldn’t you agree that living sustainably is principle-based living? It’s about aligning our choices with our beliefs. Even when the action feels small. Even when it feels like it won’t tip the scales. Because the truth is – our collective small actions do add up. And we can’t have collective action without first having individual action!
I do understand the agita.
If you are not clear as to why some are so against the idea of sustainable living, let’s pause for a moment and remember where the whole “personal responsibility” idea even came from. It came from the fossil fuel industry as a way to deflect back to the world the responsibility of action. Don’t look here, we are just working to meet consumer demand…
As far back as the early 1980s, Exxon and other oil companies were already fully aware of the risks of climate change. The now-infamous 1982 Exxon Memo spelled it out clearly – burning fossil fuels was going to heat the planet. Instead of acting (which could just make you crazy if you really think about it for too long), they changed the language. “Global warming” turned into the softer more general sounding “climate change.” And of course, they introduced the idea of the “carbon footprint,” subtly shifting the burden from corporations to individuals.
I get it! Personal responsibility was weaponized. It was turned into a distraction. If you were busy calculating your carbon footprint, you were less busy questioning Exxon and the rest of the fossil fuel industry and/or demanding action from your politicians.
But here’s the twist: just because the concept was manipulated doesn’t mean the actions themselves are meaningless. Yes, we must hold corporations and governments accountable. Yes, we must demand laws, regulation, and systemic transformation. That’s non-negotiable. But we also have to live in alignment with our values every single day – because waiting for others to act while we ignore our own choices is not integrity, it’s avoidance. And then truly, we become a part of the problem instead of actively working on the solution.
So, what does this look like in practice?
It’s not glamorous, and it’s not complicated. You’ve seen it before, it looks like:
- Carrying a reusable coffee cup or water bottle everywhere. And maybe add to that reusable utensils and even a cloth napkin or handkerchief.
- Refusing plastic bags and bringing your own – everywhere.
- Eating more plants and less meat and cheese. (I said less, don’t freak out!)
- Biking, walking, or carpooling when you can, even working from home a few days a week helps.
- Choosing secondhand before new.
- Repairing and repurposing instead of tossing.
- Voting with your dollars by supporting businesses that prioritize sustainability. It is easier than ever before to find companies with independent verifications like Fair Trade Certified or B Corps.
- Cutting down food waste by meal planning and actually eating the leftovers, and then composting what is not eaten.
- Saying no to fast fashion and helping to educate our kids as future consumers.
- Turning down the thermostat and putting on a sweater.
- Shorter showers, cold water laundry, energy efficient appliances, … you get the idea!
The list of small daily habits that you can adopt into your routine is long. None of these actions alone will “solve” climate change. That’s not the point. The point is that they are acts of principle. They are how we live in a way that matches what we say we believe.
And as equally important, when millions of people live this way – not perfectly, but persistently – it does absolutely 100% add up. It creates cultural momentum. It signals to businesses and governments that consumer demand is shifting. And we create a grassroots change that will help lead to the regulations and industry changes that are necessary.
So yes, the fossil fuel industry may have twisted the idea of personal responsibility into a convenient shield. But I refuse to let them also rob it of its meaning. At the end of the day, living sustainably is not just about emissions – for me, it’s about integrity. It’s about choosing to live in a way that honors our children and future generations. It’s about refusing to compromise our values, even when the action feels small.
So here is my rallying cry:
No matter who first put the idea into the world, no matter how it’s been manipulated, we must claim personal responsibility back for ourselves. We must live as though our choices matter – because they do! Let’s align our actions with our beliefs, not out of guilt, but out of integrity. Not because it’s easy, but because it’s right. And let’s add our actions to the collective effort and make the change that so many think we are not capable of!
So please, just put down the straw!!!!
Attached is the Exxon Memo in case you want to start a journey down the rabbit hole!
References:
Supran, G., & Oreskes, N. (2021). Rhetoric and frame analysis of ExxonMobil’s climate change communications. One Earth, 4(5), 696–719. https://www.cell.com/one-earth/fulltext/S2590-3322(21)00233-5?_returnURL=https%3A%2F%2Flinkinghub.elsevier.com%2Fretrieve%2Fpii%2FS2590332221002335%3Fshowall%3Dtrue
