this post was submitted on 21 Apr 2025
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Source for those numbers?
The data comes from here I believe:
https://carbonmajors.org/briefing/The-Carbon-Majors-Database-26913
You can download the data after free registration.
Probably, yes. Which means, this post is quite misleading.
Carbon majors is about fossil fuel producers. Drilling oil, mining coal. This is the first misleadioning: Big and popular companies like Apple are not covered. They also count whole national sectors as one producer, like "China (coal)". Not what the average reader might think when reading "company". Misleading.
Further, the report includes IIRC 3rd phase emissions. Meaning emissions caused by end consumers using the product. Meaning you burning coal to use electricity, or fuel to run your car.
That doesn't mean these companies (producers, sectors) are guilt-free. But we should hate them for the right reasons, of which there are plenty.
For sure it’s a little misleading but that is where the number comes from for the “57 companies produce 80% of the greenhouse gases” quote. Whether it’s accurate or not, up for debate like you said.
A debate between people who read the source and others who project preconceived narratives onto facts. Before this sadly popular meme, I thought the latter was a misdeed of climate "skeptics". It's quite painful to see how long-lived this meme is. It makes us look as bad and post-factual as the opposition. What do we do about this? Accept it as human nature? In consequence, stop blaming "skeptics", and people who rather believe what they want and don't look up, because we do exactly the same? I think we can and should do better, hence my effort here.
The core point people make and take away from this meme is "It's not us, it's them!". Meaning, consumer emissions don't matter, because corporate emissions are so much bigger.
And in exactly this core point, this meme is misleading. Because "our" emissions are included in "their" emissions (that's what ~~phase~~ scope 3 is about). It's like a child blaming their parents that they spend so much on food, while living off their purchases.
I think if we remove humans from the planet (preferably send them to the sun), the problem will correct itself and misinformation will also disappear with them.