But it does not rule benevolently. Rather, the reign of those who control the politics of petroleum continues to undermine democracy while fostering human rights violations and environmental disasters across the Earth. Now, by making a major contribution to a global problem that looms larger than perhaps any before it, big oil may well have met its match. Changing the climate affects everyone and everything. No longer does the scientific debate focus on if global warming will happen, but rather on how soon it will occur and on how bad it will be.
Climate change affects everyone and everything.
Bound Brook, New Jersey in the wake of Hurricane Floyd, September 1999. This is partly true. But the ability of individual consumers to radically change their lifestyle while participating in mainstream society is severely limited. The ability of the individual consumer to influence climate is dwarfed by the impact of giant corporations which explore for, extract, transport, refine and distribute oil which is the primary source of carbon dioxide emissions - by far the major greenhouse gas. They use their political power to prevent technological transformation and maintain business as usual.