Every time you buy a jar of Nutella, a Hershey's chocolate bar or a bottle of Pepsi, your contributing to the killing of orangutangs and Co2 being emitted. Palm oil is an extremely versatile product and is very common in the US, especially in processed foods. During  the manufacturing, countries such as, Indonesia or Malaysia's rainforests are being chopped down in order to create room for palm or plantations. This is a problem since trees are a carbon sink so they help absorb the Earth's CO2. When there cut down, all the Co2 which was once stored is now emitted. According to Gregory P. Asner at the Carnegie Institution for Science, "Tropical deforestation contributes to about 20 percent of annual greenhouse gas emissions." Not only is this issue contributing to climate change, animals specifically orangutangs are dying in the process from loss of habitat. According to Orangutang Foundation International, 1,000 to 5,000 orangutangs die each year in Palm Oil concessions. This is significant as there's only 55,000 to 65,000 orangutangs in the wild. Palm oil is a major issue which isn't talked frequently enough. One way to help is by boycotting brands such as, Pepsi, Nutella and Hershey's for using palm oil. By doing so we can lessen the demand needing less palm oil being manufactured. How can we further lessen this issue?

Companies have a crucial responsibility in addressing global warming. They must prioritize sustainable practices, reduce emissions, and invest in renewable energy sources.
By taking proactive measures, companies can mitigate their carbon footprint and contribute to a healthier planet for future generations.
However, as long as companies prioritize short-term profit over the well-being of the planet, change remains an illusion. It is essential for companies to realign their financial priorities towards sustainable investments and eco-friendly practices. Only then can we hope to reverse the trend of global warming and protect our environment for future generations

I definitely agree with you, many larger companies are way too obvious to the harm that their non biodegradable waste is for the environment. I feel that the larger food and grocery stores need to start solely only allow biodegradable bags/ packages.

Very true, and the people with all this money tend to say they help the environment or are going to, but don't actually act on what they said.

Very true, and the people with all this money tend to say they help the environment or are going to, but don't actually act on what they said.

I agree! We’re told that we can make a difference by turning off lights and water, or buying compostable things, and while this helps, I’ve read that the main problem is the companies that burn fossil fuels, or contribute to fast fashion/consumerism. What we really need to do is get them to stop or switch to different methods, but all the people in power care about is money, and because the things they are doing now are cheap and the more sustainable methods are more expensive, they refuse to switch. Despite them all being some of the richest people in the world and having too much money to even consider spending in one lifetime. I doubt using methods that won’t eventually kill us will affect their style of life too much.

I think corporate responsibility means that companies should care about how their actions affect people and the environment. It’s not just about making money, they should also do what’s right. Sometimes, big companies make choices that hurt communities, and that’s not fair. We’ve learned that justice means thinking about the common good, and that should apply to businesses too. I believe companies should try to make a positive difference.

Industries are among the main sources of environmental pollution, releasing gases and toxic substances into the air, water, and soil. To reduce this impact, companies can adopt clean technologies, such as renewable energies and efficient production processes, to decrease greenhouse gas emissions. Additionally, improving waste management through recycling and waste reduction, and promoting a sustainability-oriented corporate culture can help mitigate industrial pollution and protect the environment.

I agree, I know companies have to do what is best for them to keep themselves afloat but they should consider the cleaner and more environmentally sustainable options that we have. It would really help in the long run for the Earth and later generations.

I Agree, but I think the only way that would happen is if better methods were cheap, easy to change to, also reliable, and increased revenue. But would seem impossible so I think the only way that could happen is if government legislation forced them to or funded the change.

Corporations are responsible for a large amount of our carbon emissions. I think that large corporations need to find more enviornmental friendy ways to do buisiness. About 80% of the carbon emissions from 2016 to 2022 can be traced back to only 57 companies. These statistics came from this website

Most companys care about money rather then the environment.

Corporate responsibility has become a vital expectation for businesses in today’s global landscape, as stakeholders increasingly demand accountability for social and environmental impacts. Companies are now recognizing that their operations extend beyond profit generation; they must also consider their effects on communities, the environment, and the economy. This includes adopting sustainable practices, ensuring fair labor conditions, and actively contributing to local development. By integrating corporate social responsibility (CSR) into their core strategies, businesses can foster trust, enhance brand reputation, and drive long-term growth. Furthermore, transparent reporting on social and environmental performance not only holds companies accountable but also encourages industry-wide standards. As consumers prioritize ethical practices, corporations that embrace responsibility can create positive change while aligning with the values of their customers and employees.

My average carbon footprint is 8994kg, which compared to the average American, is quite low, but comparing to the average person overseas, is quite high. Currently I am trying harder to conserve water by taking shorter showers and running the dishwasher instead of handwashing. I'm also trying to limit my single use plastic intake and invest in reusable alternatives. Although I am trying to take more accountability for my environmentally unfriendly actions, I'm wondering when big corporations will, when will they stop sweeping their overuse of fossil fuels or plastic under the rug? What are THEY doing to reduce carbon footprint? Or are they being silenced by the fossil fuel industry in return for money? When will they tell us the truth and stop increasing co2 emissions?

As long as they are motivated by money, they are probably not ever gonna stop unless the government does something about it, plus some corporates are even backed up by the government.

I agree. While Millyvanilly's efforts are obviously beneficial to the environment, and should be continued and adopted by more, I think the overarching issue is companies. If companies do take responsibility for their footprint and ACTUALLY make an effort to change it, then we can expect a more systemic change. Companies are pushing us to use paper bags while everything you see in a grocery store is wrapped in plastic. While I do think that individual efforts are important, companies need to change and the government needs to step in.

Many grocery stores and restaurants overstock and waste 100s of pounds of food per year. Although there are corporations and groups trying to speak out against this, but these companies stay silent and continue to waste food. If we want to see a change in this behavior, we have to all work together to protest.

Conner i disagree with you because it starts with you

Replying to Loic1234567890: It is somewhat true that it "starts with you"; we should all do what we can to decrease our carbon footprint. BUT, part of the reason people's carbon footprints are so big is because companies don't make cheap, sustainable products. As Connor mentioned, many things in grocery stores are wrapped in plastic, and often those plastic-wrapped products are cheaper; many people can't afford to have a lower carbon footprint.

https://instituteofsustainabilitystudie … -products/

Here is an article that may be useful.

It is estimated that companies produce over 70% of the greenhouse gases within our atmosphere, to combat this it is imperative that consumers spend their money at companies that don't heavily contribute to greenhouse gasses. However, this is not as simple of a task as one may think.
As society has become more aware of their ecological footprints more and more people have been trying to lessen their impact, many people express the ideals of buying products that are better for the environment or “zero waste”. However, like most things, corporations have found a way to capitalize on this. Green-washing is when a company states that a product is eco-friendly or better for the environment, yet, most of the time the positive effect that this product will have is very minimal. To make it even worse most of these companies don’t actually care about the environment, to put it plainly they use green-washing as a marketing strategy. Companies will often charge more for these products, and people will buy, as society has begun to shift into prioritizing sustainability.
Additionally, these companies will often make vague claims that have no proof to back it up, which is incredibly harmful because this will eliminate trust between companies and consumers, making it even harder to get people to buy eco-friendly products. Greenwashing is also harmful because it can make people believe that something is sustainable when it isn’t. This can be especially seen in ads, Google has made millions off of greenwashing ads for big oil companies. These companies singly-handedly provide for around 23% percent of the Global carbon footprint, and that's just carbon, think about all the other greenhouse gases that are likely released.
Companies are thriving off of lying and faking sustainability, they create mistrust between consumers and companies and place profit over the sustainability of our planet. If we continue to allow these corporations to mislead people we are never going to have any progression towards a healthier earth. Corporations should stop greenwashing and need to start actually caring about their ecological and carbon footprint before it's too late.
Sources/further resources:
https://mashable.com/feature/carbon-foo … paign-sham
https://ccsi.columbia.edu/content/oil-s … ate-change
https://makersite.io/insights/whitepape … enwashing/
https://counterhate.com/blog/google-mak … of-cop-27/

The European union is taking actions to reduce/ban greenwashing by banning certain greenwashing buzzwords such as “environmentally friendly”,“natural”, “biodegradable”, “climate neutral” or “eco” without proof of recognized excellent environmental performance relevant to the claim. Unproven claims of durability relative to time or intensity under normal conditions will not be allowed and "claims based on emissions offsetting schemes that a product has neutral, reduced or positive impact on the environment."

It's really good that we are recognizing and sharing how big corporations are making money off the climate crisis. I wonder if there is a petition or something that we could sign to share this topic further?

I do agree that company responsibility is more important than individual effort. While personal changes like using a paper straw make a difference, it is incredibly small and unimportant in comparison to the companies that as Junielle stated, are producing a vast majority of the emissions. I think that the idea of green-washing is also important, and should be government regulated.

I agree that greenwashing is dangerous as we undergo the process of becoming more sustainable. I believe that there should be stricter restrictions for products to be called "green" or "sustainable."

The answer is both, but i think its more important to change the way bigger companies operate to sway the public into watching their own emission's.

I agree

thank you evan

I believe that climate change is effected more by large governments and corporations, and because of this, they should hold most of the responsibility to work against climate change. It is unrealistic to expect individual actions to reduce greenhouse gas emissions alone.

I think that climate change is more affected by larger companies but our own emissions are still important

I believe that large corporations need to put more of an effort towards saving and conserving the natural world. Big producers of plastic and other wast polluting our oceans and the environment around us need to slow and even stop the production of many harmful products and switch to more renewable recyclable and efficient alternatives. We need to put more of an effort towards supporting corporations that use and produce these efficient alternative products. We also need to put forward more of an effort to start supporting organizations that clean up and fix the messes made by these large and wasteful businesses.

I agree with this. Big company's produce a lot of carbon with their factories, and then have non degradable packaging. Both are bad for the environment, but since it is out of our control, we should do our best to control what we buy/support and dispose of our waste properly. If one wants to even support further, they can volunteer to pick up trash, or to help support company's trying to be eco friendly. It shouldn't be other organizations duties to pick up after these other polluting companies, but it should be whoever caused the problem. Usually the more eco friendly option is going to be more expensive at the end of the day, as being more eco friendly is more expensive.

For some people, it’s easy to live your life with only the bare essentials, but for others, it’s hard to discern between if they need something or if they really want something. Now, if you really want to get argumentative, practically everything can be written off as a “want”, including clothes in the summer, blankets in the winter, and umbrellas in rainy days. This is why it’s so easy to berate someone for wanting material possessions, while at the same time you can just as easily wave the blame off of yourself for getting a new muffler for your bike. It’s when you think about how we have been living for centuries without a dire need for anything, and that we’ve been living in excess for so long, that you realize that the question changes from “Do you really need it?”, to “Is my purchase of this item really what’s causing all of this?”. We’ve known that CO2 emissions have been rising ever since the Industrial Revolution, and the main driver of global warming is most likely not the customers that buy the products, but the manufacturers that pump out incredible amounts of waste in a landfill they call products, and don’t even stop for a second to think about their impact on the environment. The environment isn’t solely in the hands of you and whether you decide to buy that Hydroflask or not, but it’s up to the companies that dump tons of oil into the ocean, the same companies that use the energy that just so happens to be the most damaging to the environment. Now, I’m not saying to be mindful of your impact on the environment, in fact, I support those who “reduce, reuse, recycle” and don’t buy tons of environmentally-damaging plastics. What I’m saying is: Be mindful of your waste, but please don’t beat yourself or others up about it. Buy more organic options at the store, support your local farmers and business owners and avoid the companies that emit the larger percentage of the world’s carbon, but please, don’t force yourself or anybody to live a life that you/they don’t want when the real problem is out of your hands.

I agree. Everyone can go on in life without all the excessive things we often buy but many of us can't bring ourselves to agree with this. I know of people who frequently go shopping on a daily basis for things that and very nice to have, but not necessary. Things like celebrity fans rushing to purchase the most recent merch, people immediately buying the latest design that their favourite brand just dropped, and those who are shopping for their 9th pair of shoes are all common examples of how we buy what we want, not need. We have the luxury of getting to choose what we want to buy. Those people in under-developed countries and places don't have this choice. They can only make use of what they find and what they are given. Yet you still see them making the best out of it unlike us who want more and more even if our current item is still in usable condition. All these small little things add up bit by bit as we continue to contribute to global warming.

I agree a lot with this. Currently, I feel like average, everyday people are blamed and made to feel bad for problems that are really out of their hands. Sure, the accretion of normal people's carbon emissions is part of it, but when celebrities are emitting the same amount of CO2 in one 15 minute private jet flight than the average household emits in a year, who is really the problem? The average person doesn't have even a fraction of the influence and power a politician or celebrity has. Telling people the climate crisis is their fault is a hugely mistaken perspective to take. Most families have no option but to buy clothes that are not sustainably made or to buy cheap, non-organic, non-local produce and food. Shaming other people for the choices they make surrounding sustainability is in no way going to help. Change doesn't come from a few people being "perfect", it comes from a lot of people making small, everyday improvements.