Earth Detox: How and Why We Must Clean Up Our Planet

Science writer Cribb (Food or War) warns against toxic chemicals mucking up the planet in this harsh account of environmental havoc. By turns blunt and alarmist, he focuses on “the hundreds of billions of tonnes of chemicals that we emit and circulate through our normal daily and industrial activities, their impact on human health and on life in general”—these, he writes, pose more of a threat to humans’ future than climate change. Cribb breaks down the 2.5 billion tons of manufactured chemicals produced and released annually by humanity, covering the waste polluting the sea and the harm it does to marine life (killing a million seabirds and 100,000 mammals each year) and warning of potentially toxic substances found in homes, including synthetic fabrics, carpets, paints, cleaning products, cosmetics, and insect sprays. The lists are long and exasperating, but Cribb remains moderately hopeful, offering ways in which the damage can be mitigated. He proposes a (somewhat fantastical) 10-point plan that includes forming a global alliance of citizens and businesses dedicated to “detoxing the planet,” campaigning for a “human right not to be poisoned,” and banishing toxic substances from food chains. Though intense, readers will find this an urgent wake-up call. (Aug.)