What Is A Carbon Footprint—And Does It Excuse Large Corporations?
“It’s Time To Go On A Low-Carbon Diet”
So reads an archived page from British Petroleum’s 2006 campaign to help spread the word about the effects of our personal environmental choices. The brand, the same one behind the infamous and devastating Gulf Oil Spill in 2010, wanted to remind its consumers that we’re all in this together. Individuals and corporations, its campaign insinuated, share the burden of mitigating the effects of climate change.
While carbon footprints aren’t new, the focus on personal carbon output is a more recent development. We’ve seen a rise in consumer-focused movements that remind us our small, individual choices matter—such as plastic bag taxes at grocery stores and reusable water bottles. And these changes do make an impact!
But when it comes to harm reduct...