Big Oil Companies Want to Make Even More Plastic

Many people try to help the planet by using less plastic. They carry water bottles they can use again and again. They bring canvas bags to the store. But big oil companies like ExxonMobil are doing the opposite. They want to make even more plastic than before.

Beth Gardiner is a writer who studies the environment. She always tried to use less plastic in her daily life. Then she read some shocking news. Big fossil fuel companies were planning to make much more plastic in the future. This news made her write a book called "Plastic Inc."

Plastic comes from oil and gas that companies dig up from the ground. When companies make plastic, they use a lot of energy and create pollution. The plastic business helps oil companies make money even when people start using clean energy instead. Beth says plastic is like a backup plan for oil companies to keep making profits.

Fracking is when companies drill deep into the ground and blast fluid to get oil and gas. This process was supposed to solve energy problems, but it hurts the environment. Fracking also creates a gas called ethane, which companies use to make plastic. Beth visited a family in Pennsylvania who live near hundreds of fracking wells.

Some young people are fighting back against plastic waste. In Honolulu, a kid named Dyson Chee helped pass a law to limit single-use plastics. Other counties saw this success and made similar laws. Beth thinks local laws work better because big companies have less power to stop them.