epilepticsaints:
requested by @gaytomatic
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BP did hire PR firm Ogilvy & Mather in 2004, and coined the term ‘carbon footprint’ as well as creating the 'carbon footprint calculator’. This gave the impression that climate change was primarily the fault of the individual consumers.
From a New York Times opinion piece on carbon footprint (via the Wayback Machine): 'In 2004, BP hired the public relations firm Ogilvy & Mather to improve its image, in part by conveying the message that consumers of oil and natural gas bear the responsibility for their greenhouse gas emissions, not the producers of the oil and gas they use. The result was BP’s ingenious carbon footprint calculator, which allows individuals to calculate the carbon emissions that result from their activities.’
From a BBC Future article on 'how companies blame you for climate change’: 'Similar criticisms have been levelled at terms like “carbon footprints” – which was first coined in a 2005 TV advert from BP. The advert appears to show members of the public being stopped in the street and asked what is “their carbon footprint”.’
From an Irish Times on individualising blame: 'In 2004, it unveiled a “carbon footprint calculator”, so that individuals could assess how much their daily activities were polluting the planet. The marketing campaign, led by Ogilvy & Mather, fostered the false idea that climate change was the fault of individuals rather than fossil fuel companies.’
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