{"id":2821,"date":"2025-04-05T16:19:59","date_gmt":"2025-04-05T20:19:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.carboncrewproject.org\/?p=2821"},"modified":"2025-04-05T16:21:20","modified_gmt":"2025-04-05T20:21:20","slug":"ditchtheplastic","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.carboncrewproject.org\/index.php\/ditchtheplastic\/","title":{"rendered":"Oil Companies Have No Power Unless We Give It to Them- By Tom Virden"},"content":{"rendered":"[vc_row type=”in_container” full_screen_row_position=”middle” column_margin=”default” column_direction=”default” column_direction_tablet=”default” column_direction_phone=”default” scene_position=”center” text_color=”dark” text_align=”left” row_border_radius=”none” row_border_radius_applies=”bg” overflow=”visible” overlay_strength=”0.3″ gradient_direction=”left_to_right” shape_divider_position=”bottom” bg_image_animation=”none”][vc_column column_padding=”no-extra-padding” column_padding_tablet=”inherit” column_padding_phone=”inherit” column_padding_position=”all” column_element_spacing=”default” background_color_opacity=”1″ background_hover_color_opacity=”1″ column_shadow=”none” column_border_radius=”none” column_link_target=”_self” column_position=”default” gradient_direction=”left_to_right” overlay_strength=”0.3″ width=”1\/1″ tablet_width_inherit=”default” tablet_text_alignment=”default” phone_text_alignment=”default” animation_type=”default” bg_image_animation=”none” border_type=”simple” column_border_width=”none” column_border_style=”solid”][vc_column_text]\n

Addressing climate change through collective action for almost no cost<\/strong><\/h1>\n

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Climate change discussions inevitably focus on the “evil” oil companies. While they are certainly not blameless in their billion-dollar efforts to promote climate denial and misinformation, the truth is that they are entirely dependent upon us for all their revenue and power.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Until recently, if you wanted to drive somewhere, you had no choice\u2014you needed to fill up at a local gas station and pay whatever it took to fill your tank. We have been attached by an oily umbilical cord to Exxon, Shell, BP, Chevron, etc., all of our lives. Not surprisingly, they have become some of the most valuable and profitable companies on the planet. Exxon reported profits of $36.0 billion in 2023, which was down from the previous year! Think about what $36 billion could do to preserve the rainforest, install charging stations, or construct microgrids around the world!<\/span><\/p>\n

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But now we have alternatives. There are over 590 different electric vehicle models in the world and over 100 in the US \u2014cars, pickup trucks, SUVs, sedans, trucks, semis, and even fire trucks! They\u2019re fun to drive. They don\u2019t stink. We have the technology and the products, we just need to convince more people that they are better than driving vehicles that depend on oil companies every time you get in them.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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Forget climate change for a second\u2014let’s just talk about the freedom to spend your money where you want. There’s nothing more empowering than waking up every morning with your battery full of electrons because you plugged your car in at home the night before and can drive past all the gas stations on your way to work. There’s lots of fear, uncertainty, and doubt about range anxiety and claims that electric cars don’t go far enough, but this is becoming a problem of the past. The average EV range has increased dramatically from 73 miles in 2010 to 320 miles in 2024, representing a 338.4% improvement. Similarly, the number of public charging stations grew from 541 in 2010 to 89,500 in 2024, a 16,443% increase. The US now has 31,800 DC fast chargers.<\/span><\/p>\n

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For the first time in our lifetime, we have the power to vote with our dollars and say no to these companies who have owned us all our lives. Their product is the primary driver of carbon behind climate change. And now we have the power to stop buying from them.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Two-thirds of greenhouse emissions are generated from household decisions (UN Environmental Program Report): how you heat your house, the car you drive, how you cook your food, your food waste, etc. This means two-thirds of emissions are our responsibility, and we can have an impact. If all of us stopped buying bottled water\u2014which is full of microplastics and less healthy than tap water\u2014it would have a massive effect on plastic production and oil burned for distribution and transportation. Is it really necessary to ship water from Fiji to your home?\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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Plastics are made from oil, so every time you buy something packaged in plastic, you are paying part of that price to the oil companies. When did body wash become necessary? We didn’t grow up with it\u2014it’s just liquid soap. What’s wrong with bar soap? There’s absolutely no need for body wash. If we all stopped buying it, we’d reduce not just plastic usage but also emissions from transporting something that\u2019s up to 85% water across the continent. Similarly, shampoo doesn’t need to come in a plastic bottle\u2014it’s fine in bar form, as is shaving cream, deodorant, laundry detergent, and many other household products.<\/span><\/p>\n

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We can have a major impact by voting with our dollars if we do it collectively. If every organization with a newsletter list and social media account coordinated one monthly action, it could effortlessly be communicated to hundreds of millions of people. This would create significant behavioral change at almost no cost. If we launched a new initiative every month, we would truly restore power to consumers where it belongs and make real change instead of just worrying about it.<\/span><\/p>\n

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So, instead of worrying, let’s take simple action. It doesn’t require legislation or money\u2014it only requires that everyone who cares take one simple, coordinated action a month. For most people, this would save them money while building a worldwide army of consumers who are spending to preserve the environment and futures for their children. Let\u2019s do this.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Monthly Initiatives:<\/strong><\/p>\n

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