All Hail

Our plastic problems are worse than you think | All Hail

Why we can’t recycle our way out of the planet’s plastic crisis.

Plastics are the lifeblood of a modern culture of speed, convenience and disposability – but we rarely stop to ask: Where does it all come from?

What a lot of people don’t realise is that 98 percent of the inputs of plastics are fossil fuels. Extracting these fossil fuels are just the start of a long chain of toxic processes involved in the lifecycle of plastic.

In the fourth episode of All Hail The Planet – a series delving into the social, economic and political forces undermining meaningful global action on climate change – Ali Rae speaks with co-executive director of Greenpeace USA, Annie Leonard; “Cancer Alley” campaigner, Sharon Lavigne; and environmental engineer; Yuyun Ismawati.