Abstract

“We are all in this together”: Climate change, collective responsibility, and the politics of existential risk

From austerity to the recent pandemic, the refrain ‘We are all in this together’ has been increasingly used by political leaders to frame and manage crises. This paper examines a largely neglected phenomenon: the adoption of this rhetoric of collective responsibility by corporate actors, particularly the oil industry, in relation to climate change. These campaigns signal a critical shift from previous industry strategies aimed at deflecting responsibility for climate risk—namely, denialism (manufacturing ignorance and doubt) and greenwashing (portraying harmful practices as sustainable). What explains this shift from denying responsibility to embracing a collective rhetoric that suggests shared accountability? Could this narrative of ‘We are all in this together’ serve to dilute the oil industry’s role in driving climate change by implying that all are equally responsible, potentially masking those most accountable? More crucially, does this trend increase the risk of extreme climate outcomes that could lead to catastrophic shifts, heightening the potential for human extinction or civilizational collapse? This paper considers how collective responsibility rhetoric might obscure vital accountability and become a hidden threat to addressing climate change as an existential risk.