Overview

'Plastic pollution has reached crisis proportions, and false solutions abound. But as The Problem with Plastic shows, there are real solutions out there. And, fortunately, there are people like Judith Enck working to enact them.' Elizabeth Kolbert, Pulitzer Prize-winning author of The Sixth Extinction A powerful investigation into plastic's impact on human health and the environment, and how we can fight back Plastic is everywhere wrapped around our food, stitched into our clothes, even coursing through our veins. Once a marvel of modern science, plastic has become so inextricably woven into our lives that imagining a world without it can seem impossible. Over the last seventy-five years, plastic has cradled our planet in a synthetic embrace. The Problem with Plastic critically examines the paradox of this material, first celebrated for its innovations and now recognised for its devastating environmental and public health impacts. With clarity and urgency, the book reveals how plastic pollution contributes to poisoned oceans, polluted air, a warming planet, and overwhelming waste, disproportionately impacting marginalized communities who bear the brunt of petrochemical pollution. Revealing the alarming extent of microplastics infiltrating both the natural world and the human body, this compelling narrative challenges the illusion that recycling alone will save us. It unpacks the mechanisms of environmental racism and the deceptive greenwashing strategies used by the plastics industry to maintain the status quo. More than a critique, The Problem with Plastic emphasises the urgent need for action against plastic's toxic legacy. It highlights powerful stories of frontline resistance in places like Louisiana, Texas, and Appalachia, and equips readers with practical tools including a 'Household Waste Audit' to track and reduce plastic consumption, as well as model policy guides for driving legislative change. Urgent, eye-opening, and ultimately empowering, The Problem with Plastic reminds us: plastic is a problem but together, we can be the solution.

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9781620979457

Table of Contents

Reviews

Praise for The Problem with Plastic: “I don’t think anyone on planet Earth knows more about the plastics problem than Judith Enck—including, most crucially, what to do about it. This is a handbook for people looking to make a difference!” —Bill McKibben, author of Here Comes the Sun “Plastic pollution has reached crisis proportions, and false solutions abound. But as The Problem with Plastic shows, there are real solutions out there. And, fortunately, there are people like Judith Enck working to enact them.” —Elizabeth Kolbert, Pulitzer Prize–winning author of The Sixth Extinction “The science behind the dangers that plastics pose to the health of our species (and planet) has been accumulating for nearly forty years and is frighteningly clear. But far too little has been written about the action that these threats call for. The Problem with Plastic fills that gap expertly. Judith Enck, with her impressive record of successful advocacy, is the person we need to sound the call to action that this crisis requires.” —Dr. Shanna Swan, award-winning scientist and environmental epidemiologist “A powerful wake-up call, paired with a blueprint for action.” —Rebecca Prince-Ruiz, founder and executive director of Plastic Free Foundation

Author Information

Judith Enck is the founder and president of Beyond Plastics, whose goal is eliminating plastic pollution everywhere. In 2009, she was appointed by President Obama to serve as regional administrator at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and served as deputy secretary for the environment in the New York Governor's Office. She is currently a professor at Bennington College, where she teaches classes on plastic pollution. She lives in upstate New York. Adam Mahoneyis a climate and environmental reporter who has reported from more than a dozen U.S. states and Palestine, Mexico, Uganda, and Vietnam for newspapers and magazines includingThe New York Times and The Guardian. The co-author (with Judith Enck and Beyond Plastics) of The Problem with Plastic: How We Can Save Ourselves and Our Planet Before It's Too Late (The New Press), he lives in New Orleans, Louisiana.

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