On this edition of Your Call’s One Planet Series, we discuss a major petrochemical venture between chemical giant Saudi Basic Industries Corporation and Exxon Mobil. Last year, they created a joint venture called the Gulf Coast Growth Ventures manufacturing facility in San Patricio County, Texas.
The complex produces materials used in packaging, agriculture, film, construction materials, clothing, and automotive coolants. The plant is reported to be the largest ethane steam cracker in the world. What are the environmental and health risks for the communities living near these plants?
Guest:
Mark Schapiro, investigative journalist specializing in the environment, lecturer at the UC Berkeley Graduate School of Journalism, and author of Seeds of Resistance: The Fight to Save Our Food Supply
Web Resources:
Public Health Watch: As Alarm Over Plastic Grows, Saudis Ramp Up Production in the US
The Guardian: Plastic in the Depths: how pollution took over our oceans
New Scientist: Chemicals from plastic bag pollution could unbalance ecology of lakes
