Why have I heard about Tyson investing into lab grown, but I haven’t heard about big oil investing in renewable?
Tyson’s basic insight here is not to identify as “an animal agriculture company”. Instead, they identify as “a feeding people company”. (Which happens to align with doing the right thing, conveniently!)
It seems like big oil is making a tremendous mistake here. Do you think oil execs go around saying “we’re an oil company”? When they could instead be going around saying “we’re a powering stuff” company. Being a powering stuff company means you have fuel source indifference!
I mean if you look at all the money they had to spend on disinformation and lobbying, isn’t it insultingly obvious to say “just invest that money into renewable research and markets instead”?
Is there dialogue on this? Also, have any members of “big oil” in fact done what I’m suggesting, and I just didn’t hear about it?
This happens quite widely to my knowledge and I’ve heard about it a lot (but I’m heavily involved in the climate movement so that make sense). Examples:
BP started referring to themselves as “Beyond Petroleum” rather than “British Petroleum” over 20 years ago.
A report by Greenpeace that found on average amongst a few “big oil” business, 63% of their advertising was classed as “greenwashing” when approx. only 1% of their total portfolios where renewable energy investment.
Guardian article covering analysis by Client Earth who are suing big oil companies for greenwashing
A lawsuit by Client Earth got BP to retract some greenwashing adverts for being misleading
Why have I heard about Tyson investing into lab grown, but I haven’t heard about big oil investing in renewable?
Tyson’s basic insight here is not to identify as “an animal agriculture company”. Instead, they identify as “a feeding people company”. (Which happens to align with doing the right thing, conveniently!)
It seems like big oil is making a tremendous mistake here. Do you think oil execs go around saying “we’re an oil company”? When they could instead be going around saying “we’re a powering stuff” company. Being a powering stuff company means you have fuel source indifference!
I mean if you look at all the money they had to spend on disinformation and lobbying, isn’t it insultingly obvious to say “just invest that money into renewable research and markets instead”?
Is there dialogue on this? Also, have any members of “big oil” in fact done what I’m suggesting, and I just didn’t hear about it?
CC’d to lesswrong shortform
This happens quite widely to my knowledge and I’ve heard about it a lot (but I’m heavily involved in the climate movement so that make sense). Examples:
BP started referring to themselves as “Beyond Petroleum” rather than “British Petroleum” over 20 years ago.
A report by Greenpeace that found on average amongst a few “big oil” business, 63% of their advertising was classed as “greenwashing” when approx. only 1% of their total portfolios where renewable energy investment.
Guardian article covering analysis by Client Earth who are suing big oil companies for greenwashing
A lawsuit by Client Earth got BP to retract some greenwashing adverts for being misleading
Examples of oil companies promoting renewables
Another article on marketing spending to clean up the Big Oil image
https://www.lesswrong.com/posts/kq8CZzcPKQtCzbGxg/quinn-s-shortform?commentId=yLG8yWWHhuTKLbdZA seems like a I didn’t hear about it kind of thing