Sustainability and Logistics – CO2 Bullshit Bingo: An Attempt at Clarification

In a nutshell: This is the final installment of the 4-part blog post series on CO2 Bullshit Bingo. We're almost there – just a few more sentences and words to work through. About 8 minutes of reading time. We want to continue demystifying arguments like "But the Chinese…" or "Germany is only responsible for 2% of global emissions. And we're supposed to save the world?" Because (and I'll gladly repeat it in this fourth part too, since it's so enormously important): meaningful discourse is no longer possible when we spend more time debating the existence of facts than their significance. People have always held different opinions. Today, they hold different facts. But without a shared reality, no productive collective decisions can be made. So let's dive into the various CO2 footprints. Part 3 focused on the individual; this final part will address companies and nation(s). 

Note: Due to the complexity of the topic, I decided to split the blog into four parts: 

• Post 1: Greenhouse Gases and the Greenhouse Effect
• Post 2: Climate Change, Global Warming and the CO2 Bathtub
• Post 3: CO2 Bullshit Bingo Part 1 (Level: Individual)
• Post 4: CO2 Bullshit Bingo Part 2 (Level: Companies and Nations) 

This text feels a little strange to write. It deals with climate science, so all facts and most descriptions are based on the sources cited. I've added or rephrased things here and there, of course, but essentially I've just pieced together the relevant passages. So if you think this text is brilliant: kudos to the sources. 

Companies – Are the Oil Firms the Culprits? 

We now come to yet another elephant in the room. Spoiler: things can get emotional here too. So keep the pitchforks in the cupboard, because it's more complex than it first appears.  

Just 100 companies have been responsible for more than 70% of global greenhouse gas emissions since 1988. Unsurprisingly, ExxonMobil, Shell, BP and Chevron have ranked among the highest-emitting investor-owned companies since 1988. [1]  

The list also reveals another striking insight. One fifth of global industrial greenhouse gas emissions are financed through public investment. Ten banks, financial service providers and states jointly hold the rights to almost 50% of all fossil fuel reserves in the private sector. [3] 

OK, striking. But beware! The study includes Scope 3 emissions, meaning that fossil fuel producers are held accountable for all emissions from extraction through to use and combustion – including our own consumption. We cannot and should not take the cognitive shortcut of offloading all fossil fuel combustion emissions onto these companies just so we can declare a culprit for the climate crisis. Having an antagonist makes finger-pointing easier, but doesn't actually change anything. The bottom line for us: we're all in this together. 

A completely different question in this context – one I will explore in a future blog post – is how much influence these very institutions, companies, investors, etc. have had in blocking climate protection policy through professionally organized and globally networked lobbying. Remarkably, the lists of lobbyists overlap with those in the CDP Report to a very high degree. And that is the real scandal behind the report's findings. 

The CDP report was, however, very clear and alarming on one point: the risks associated with the uninterrupted expansion of fossil fuel extraction. To put it in Christian Stöcker's words: We must stop burning the world. [3]  

Nations – "But the Chinese…" or "What difference can Germany possibly make"? 

OK. Here we are at the epicenter of the climate policy debate. Particularly in the arguments of those who assign little priority to climate and environmental policy. This is where arguments are drawn upon that discredit the importance of national climate policy and dismiss it as a drop-in-the-ocean effect, on the grounds that any single nation's influence is negligible in a global context. THE argument that has been doing the rounds for years, pushed by certain interest groups – and, remarkably, keeps gaining traction. Let's take a closer look. 

When it comes to national emissions, there are many perspectives to consider: absolute, total-percentage, per capita, consumption-based, and – as an (important) special category – historical emissions. These are just a few perspectives; in my view, the most important ones. 

Let's start with territorial emissions – CO2 emissions by country. China, India and the USA are the world's largest emitters, accounting for 52% of global CO2 in 2021. China leads the way with approximately 30% (somewhere between 10 and 14 gigatons: 12.3 gigatons according to CarbonBrief). [6] Germany, at 1.8%, lags far behind China. [4] This statistical view is also the breeding ground for the "But China" argument. 

China, India and the USA are also the most populous countries. And that matters, because in the same breath as national CO2 emissions, we should also look at CO2 emissions per capita by country (in tonnes). A second glance can add nuance to the overall picture.