The Petroleum Papers Irony

The Petroleum Papers Irony

The oil companies

The oil companies aim to help the lives of their customers, however, they are actively harming it by warming and destroying the Earth and poisoning their customers. Their actions are unreasonable and unexpected, in other words.

Money

The oil companies' interest in money prevented them from truly running a healthy and successful business. Their greed prevented them from running their business as well as they could, in other words.

Profit

The oil companies knew for a long time that they were destroying the planet through their activity. However, they continued to sell their product, knowing that in selling their product they were destroying their market (and thus their ability to make money).

Whistleblowers

As far back as the 1960s, whistleblowers exposed the damage that oil is doing to the Earth and how it is causing climate change. They unexpectedly did so despite the tremendous risk to life and limb that they brought upon themselves.

Government

One of the government's chief responsibilities is to protect its citizens. They failed their primary duty by allowing oil companies to continue to operate without any safeguards and with little oversight.

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