Choked: Life and Breath in the Age of Air Pollution

'Gripping and essential reading' - TIM SPECTOR'A compelling true crime story' - THE NEW YORK TIMES'Strips away the lies to show what's really happening in the world' - OLIVER BULLOUGH'Totally compelling' - ELIZABETH KOLBERTPlastic is everywhere in our daily lives. But the companies making it - oil and petrochemical giants like ExxonMobil and INEOS - are hiding in plain sight. Because for all the vivid coverage of where plastic ends up, there is remarkably little discussion of where it comes from. In a shocking investigative deep dive, packed with character-driven storytelling, award-winning journalist Beth Gardiner exposes the truth of the vast, rapacious industry flooding our world with plastic - and now preparing to make more than ever.From the Gulf Coast of Texas to the narrow streets of Antwerp and the glitz and bling of Dubai, Gardiner gives us an up-close look at the plastic industry's relentless growth, its extraordinary profits, its toxic pollution, and its hidden role in exacerbating climate change. Today, the industry is pouring billions of dollars into plans to double, and eventually triple, the amount of plastic it churns out, even as so many of us -aghast at this material's out-of-control proliferation - try to use less. As Big Oil stares down a future of diminishing demand for fossil fuels, plastic has become its financial lifeline.Plastic Inc is full of stunning revelations, including how Big Oil pushed plastic into our lives and then sold us myths about recycling to ease our worries; how companies funded litter campaigns to blame us for the waste they were creating; and how they've poured cash and political muscle into fighting bans on single-use plastics. Gardiner also uncovers the hidden health crisis caused by chemicals in the items we use every day, and scientists' growing fear that microplastics may pose even greater dangers.Plastic Inc is an extraordinary exposé of an industry that will stop at nothing to feed its voracious hunger for profit.

A New York Times Book Review Editors’ Choice<BR> <BR>An extraordinary exposé of the industry flooding our world with plastic—and now ramping up to make more than ever<BR> <BR>“A compelling true-crime story.” —Zoë Schlanger, The New York Times Book Review<BR> <BR>“Deeply researched, sharply written, and totally compelling.” —Elizabeth Kolbert, author of the The Sixth Extinction<BR> <BR> “It is impossible not to compare Beth Gardiner’s Plastic Inc. to Rachel Carson’s Silent Spring.” —John Vaillant, author of Fire Weather<BR><BR>Plastic, the foundational material of modern consumerism, is everywhere in our daily lives. But the oil and petrochemical companies making it are hiding in plain sight. Because for all the vivid coverage of where plastic ends up, there is remarkably little discussion of where it comes from. Today, industry is pouring billions of dollars into plans to double, or even triple, the amount it churns out, even as individuals concerned about plastic’s out-of-control proliferation try to use less. As Big Oil stares down a future of diminishing demand for fossil fuels, plastic has become its financial lifeline.<BR><BR>Award-winning journalist Beth Gardiner gives readers an up-close look at the plastic industry’s relentless growth, its extraordinary profits, its toxic pollution and its hidden role in exacerbating climate change. Every chapter in Plastic Inc. brings new revelations, including how Big Oil pushed the lie that recycling was the answer to our plastic mess, even though companies always knew it couldn't work at scale; the hidden health crisis caused by chemicals and microplastics in the items we use every day; and the alarming parallels between the marketing strategies used by plastic producers and those of tobacco companies and Big Pharma. <BR><BR>Plastic Inc.’s gripping stories will reframe for readers a problem many of us think we understand, but which has deeper roots, and greater dangers, than we know.