Greenwashers and Hoarders: John Pabon on Why It’s Time to Tax, Boycott, and Eat the Rich
How much worse is a billionaire’s impact on the planet? Does being a billionaire change your psychology? How do billionaire corporations greenwash? Are billionaires also puppeteering the nonprofit sector? Today’s guest, John Pabon, is here to zone in on some of the greatest greenwashers of all time—billionaires.
Greenwashing is when a company or government uses misleading marketing to present itself as environmentally friendly, often with little or no actual effort to reduce its environmental impact. Spoiler alert: billionaires do indeed greenwash, and in astronomically big ways. One example is BP’s carbon footprint calculator. BP, one of the biggest polluters on the planet, created it to show you how much you’re contributing to the climate crisis, leaving BP out of the equation and putting the onus on individuals. It’s diabolical. It’s also classic greenwashing.
It won’t surprise you that billionaires affect the climate differently from you and me. But just how much might! John shared facts from an Oxfam study to explain the scale of that impact. This is the part of the show where you can hear me physically trying not to have a meltdown at the absurdity of it all. The Oxfam study found that the 50 richest people in the world emit more carbon in 90 minutes than the average person emits in their ENTIRE lifetime. The richest 1% are responsible for 16% of global emissions. 40% of billionaire investments are in highly polluting industries. So it’s not just their yachts and private jets—it’s how they keep spending their money. To add insult to injury, people in the 1% pat themselves on the back for being “philanthropic” and donating to causes that work on the issues they helped create.
And if you’re thinking, “How is that possible? What are they thinking?” Well, it turns out that having that much money makes you think differently from the rest of us. A Berkeley study found that luxury car drivers were more likely to ignore traffic rules, cut off other motorists, and ignore pedestrians; they were also more likely not to see anyone on the road. Watch out for luxury cars, y’all! If this is making your blood boil—same. Of course, we can divest from billionaire companies like Amazon or Google. But this is where community power comes in. It’s not just on you to take down billionaires. It’s up to all of us to work together—and those cool killer whales sinking yachts.
Listen now to find out how John has been unwinding lately!
Find out more about John's work: johnpabon.com
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Resources mentioned in the show:
- Oxfam report: "Carbon Inequality Kills"
Editor's note: The terms developed countries and undeveloped countries originated as a way for organizations like the UN and World Bank to categorize countries economically, often to determine aid eligibility. In this episode, that is the context in which the terms are used. Rightfully so, a growing movement is working to update that language.
Guest host: Claire Howe
Music produced by M Baxley of Bear Witness Media
