Rapid Climate Change and Big Tech: can anything still be done?

Though not really an avid news consumer, this morning I caught wind of the backlash resulting from Shell’s now-infamous “Climate Poll Tweet.”

If you haven’t seen it, let me catch you up. Shell went out on a limb and asked the audience, “What are you willing to change to help reduce emissions?”

Allow that to digest for just a moment. Let the audacity sink in.

It wasn’t lost on US Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, who directly called Shell out for their hypocrisy.

In a similar vein, Greta Thunberg accused Shell of “endless greenwash”, while climate scientist Professor Katharine Hayhoe drew attention to the company’s contribution to atmospheric CO2 which is causing global warming.

While we might applaud big transnational corporations, including global oil giants like Shell, for finally acknowledging the question, I think the bigger question really has to be what are they prepared to do?