I suspect BP popularized the idea so you would say exactly what you just did. To give people a way to absolve themselves from accountability for their involvement in the companies actions.
It is of course true that government regulation is effective when not mired by corporate interests, and corporate lobbying (regulatory capture) greatly reduces the individuals ability to respond to climate injustice; however, the issue of personal accountability remains, even if one is essentially powerless do anything about it, no matter what BP says.