Plastic Inc.: The Secret History and Shocking Future of Big Oil's Biggest Bet

• 「研究深入、文筆犀利，且極具說服力。」——伊莉莎白·科爾伯特（Elizabeth Kolbert），《第六次滅絕》作者。

• 「我們無法不將貝絲·嘉德納（Beth Gardiner）的《塑膠公司》（Plastic Inc.）與瑞秋·卡森的《寂靜的春天》相提並論。」——約翰·維蘭特（John Vaillant），《火氣候》（Fire Weather）作者。

• 「這是一部關於全球最魯莽產業、令人屏息且具啟發性的揭密之作，同時也是一段引人入勝的現代世界祕史。」——克里斯多福·李奧納德（Christopher Leonard），《科赫帝國》（Kochland）作者。

塑膠是現代消費主義的基石，在我們的日常生活中無處不在。然而，製造塑膠的石油與石化公司卻「隱身於光天化日之下」。儘管大眾關注塑膠廢棄物的最終去向，卻鮮少討論它的來源。

如今，儘管許多人因擔憂塑膠氾濫而努力減塑，產業界卻正投入數十億美元，計畫將產量翻倍甚至增加兩倍。隨著石油巨頭（Big Oil）面臨化石燃料需求下降的未來，塑膠已成為它們的財務救生圈。

獲獎記者貝絲·嘉德納帶領讀者近距離觀察塑膠產業的持續擴張、驚人利潤、毒素污染，以及其在加劇氣候變遷中扮演的隱祕角色。《塑膠公司》的每一章節都帶來了全新的揭露，包括：

• 回收的謊言： 石油巨頭如何推銷「回收是解決塑膠憂慮的萬靈丹」這一謊言，即便企業內部深知這在規模化後根本行不通。

• 隱藏的健康危機： 探討日常用品中的化學物質所引發的危機，以及科學家對微塑膠可能造成更大危害的日益擔憂。

• 政治權力的運作： 製造與使用塑膠的產業如何動用政治力量阻止「禁用一次性塑膠袋」等禁令，同時將全球亂象歸咎於消費者，而他們卻從中獲利。

• 欺瞞的劇本： 石油巨頭的塑膠美夢源於數十年來對氣候科學的否認，並沿用了該產業編寫的「欺瞞劇本」——這套劇本後來也被菸草與製藥公司借鑒。

• 幕後人物： 揭開這場橫跨數十年、隱藏在企業與政治背後的醜聞核心人物。

《塑膠公司》中扣人心弦的故事將為讀者重新定義一個我們自以為理解的問題，揭示其比我們所知更深層的根源與更巨大的危險。

“Deeply researched, sharply written, and totally compelling.” —Elizabeth Kolbert, author of the The Sixth Extinction

“It is impossible not to compare Beth Gardiner’s Plastic Inc. to Rachel Carson’s Silent Spring.” —John Vaillant, author of Fire Weather

“A breathtaking and revelatory exposé about one of the world’s most reckless industries—and also a fascinating secret history of the modern world.” —Christopher Leonard, author of Kochland

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.

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 sold us the lie that recycling was the panacea for our plastic worries, even though companies always knew it couldn’t work at scale

• The hidden health crisis caused by chemicals in the items we use every day, and scientists’ growing fear that microplastics may pose even bigger dangers

• How the industries making and using plastic have wielded political muscle to stop bans on single-use items like plastic bags, while blaming us for the global mess they’ve created—and profited from

• That Big Oil’s plastic dreams spring directly from decades of denying climate science, and draw on the playbook of deceit this industry wrote—one later borrowed by tobacco and pharma companies

• The characters and personalities behind a hidden corporate and political scandal perpetuated over decades

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.