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Consumerism—and the Chemicals in All of Our Stuff—Is Thwarting the Transition From Fossil Fuels
Climate change mitigation strategies that don’t address overconsumption and reduce dependence on fossil fuel-derived chemicals will exacerbate health harms and biodiversity loss, scientists warn.
By Liza Gross
The promise of convenience and consumerism embedded in the late-1940s petrochemical industry boom shrouded an inconvenient truth. The products the chemical industry marketed as miracle, low-cost solutions for harried housewives—“long-wearing” nylons, self-service meats in sanitary cellophane, easy-flow paints—are made from climate-polluting fossil fuels and chock full of hazardous chemicals.