Nonprofit News Feed Podcast · NonprofitNewsFeed.com

The Carbon Footprint: How Big Oil Reframed And Blamed Climate Change on the Consumer (news)

·18 min·1 clip
About 100 companies are responsible for the majority of carbon emissions, revealing the scale mismatch between corporate and individual responsibility.
This episode of the Nonprofit News Feed podcast deconstructs how the term 'carbon footprint' was created by BP in a PR campaign to shift climate blame onto consumers, a tactic the hosts label 'guilt washing'. It then covers related news including Pope Francis's environmental legacy, the return of the Ice Bucket Challenge for mental health, and a poll showing a 'generosity crisis' among younger Americans.

As heard by us

A sharp look at how corporations can shift climate blame onto consumers.

This episode traces the phrase carbon footprint back to BP and uses that origin to show how easily corporations can push blame onto consumers while the bigger machinery stays hidden.

Read the full review in PlayNext →

Why you'd press play

You want the backstory behind a climate phrase that was built to shift blame.

Read the full recommendation in PlayNext →
Listen to the show on