The Connection Between Fracking and Plastics | One Small Step

What is the connection between fracking and plastics? Why is the plastics industry doubling down when more people than ever are trying to prevent its growth? And what does it have to do with fracking? Find out on this episode of One Small Step.
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As fracking has increased, so has investment in petrochemical plants that turn ethane into plastic. The World Economic Forum predicts that plastic production will double in the next 20 years. The predicted growth of plastic in the U.S. is directly connected to the fracking boom. Host Lucy Biggers talks to environmental journalist Beth Gardiner to learn more.
#Fracking #Plastic #Earth #Environment #Science #NowThis
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[@once1940]

It’s really hard not to feel completely dejected and overwhelmed when you hear the statistics in this video. Makes me feel like the personal steps I take is like taking a dustpan and brush to an earthquake. Seems weird that with all of the recent media attention plastics has gotten over recent years, production and consumption continues to increase, despite the best efforts of wonderful people like yourself. I really hope you videos reach the people who can drive real change and everyone else really starts to change their behaviours.

[@asmitasrivastava3704]

One small step makes a huge difference! You are doing awesome! Don't allow climate anxiety to get you down ✌️

[@SeeNickView]

I think what helps with bearing the anxiety that comes with the planetary boundaries crisis is to just have more conversations. The more people we can connect with and make a change in, the more I'd wager that anxiety gets less and less. Personally I need to have more conversations, but it's more of I want to walk the walk before talking the talk.

[@behr121002]

Yes, and there is such a dearth of political knowledge, leadership and 'in your face' courage to stand up these corporate forces, not to mention the dupes and dopes that continue to put into office the near-useless, even dangerous, political figures.

[@Van9fromOuterSpace]

@@SeeNickView Don't stress too much about talking with others about it, even if you're not quite where you want to be with your reduction yet. You might have a conversation with someone that inspires you to take one more step.

[@tomb2289]

@@Van9fromOuterSpace well said. These are complex issues, we can't afford to wait until we're all saints on every issue before we start reaching out to others 💚

[@TheTanman412]

Most people don’t need the plastic they consume on a weekly basis…Imagine if that consumption slowly stopped and/or was replaced with something compostable and GOOD for the environment? If just a small majority start buying & supporting these products-the competition will follow suit. And do it more cheaply. Just like going Organic, or interests in Electric cars and their production. It takes a village!

[@clave26]

Altough it isn't easy in third world countries. And with the pandemic there is more consumption of plastic.

[@1964mcqueen]

We need to treat plastic as the toxic substance that it is. We need to reduce and eventually eliminate plastic production, and sequester the plastic waste as we now know that plastic recycling is a total sham.

[@KelThaFunkeeGaming]

This is insane... production is going up!?

[@shaunaburton7136]

Tax the fracking industry.

[@andrewkennedy3859]

Dear Lucy Biggers, This is such a great KZbin Channel, thank you for all of your hard work. We must keep a positive happy attitude at all times we can overcome this problem with our plastic over usage. We the people can use one of the greatest properties of plastic, that it will last such a long time to our advantage, we can use the same plastic containers over and over. All it takes is some five gallon buckets. All it takes is reusing the same five gallon buckets for some stuff such as laundry soap. If we would just refill the same laundry soap five gallon bucket over and over again, we would be able to remove the laundry soap plastic container segment from the economy. That would be a big step in the right direction. Other products like soda pop and milk it might not work as well to refill the same five gallon bucket over and over again. But for things like dish soap and laundry soap, the simple fact is, all we need to do is refill the same five gallon bucket over and over again. Problem solved. And also concentrating the soaps down, removing the water from them would make the freight and shipment of them much more economical. Maybe it would be a good idea to add water to dry laundry soap and mix it up before putting it in the washing machine. Also maybe we can compress the dry laundry soap into more compact units before shipping, saving money and environmental costs. A conflict here is the economic engine of selling soap in smaller plastic containers at a higher price, rather than allowing the consumer to purchase 5 gallons in my own 5 gallon bucket, of laundry soap or dish washing soap. Imagine a laundry soap station like a gas station where you can pump a few gallons of dish soap or laundry soap into a five gallon bucket, a five gallon bucket that will last one million years on the bright side, will never need another plastic laundry soap container ever, it is only possible to use one laundry soap container in your entire life, rather than a new one every single time i go to the laundry soap station. Products like these will not really go bad or spoil like milk or soda pop. The fewer cars sold a year the better. Keep putting miles on the same car. Put 1,000,000 miles on the same car, truck, or semi truck. If the car was not designed to rust it should be cheaper for the money and environment to keep putting new motors and transmissions in the car 10x in a row, the most expensive components in the vehicle. Rather than scraping the whole car. If the seats get destroyed replace the seats in the car. Capitalism does not care very much about our environment. Our economic system is designed with economic growth generating money and making a fortune. Car companies, every company wants to make as much money as possible. Car companies will make it impossible to fix a car so we must keep buying new cars over and over. Environmentalism challenges the economic constitution of our capitalist economy in the United states of America. It should be cheaper to keep the same old car on the road for 50 years. Should keep the same wind mill going for 100 years longer than 25 before scraping them. Wind mills are scraped after 25 years normally, this is a economic event destroying the environment, windmill structures, the metal towers, the concrete in the footings, these structures can obviously last 100, 500, or 10,000 years. What if we build a windmill the size of the sky scraper. Nothing is stopping this from happening, except economic conflict. In iowa the energy companies invest in wind energy, well rumor has it that solar is cheaper, so something is rotten in Denmark. California farmers must water their fields, huh never knew that. That would cost a lot of water. iowa should have batteries being built soon huge grid scale batteries, iowa should be able to see isolated homes and communities with their own off grid systems, saving all the energy transmission costs. Design furniture that can have the upholstery easily swapped out. The structure of the furniture should last and last. The goal of every company is making money. The environment is not the goal. Capitalist society, the constitution of our every day life needs to be rewritten. Its possible to use the same five gallon bucket for laundry soap for 10 generations. That is why we have 10th generation dairy farmers. That would cut down on our plastic usage a lot. We the people need the government to build laundry soap stations, or retrofit our dead and dying per-existing gas stations to serve as laundry soap stations. Need a few gallons go and pump some laundry soap at the laundry soap station, go get 5 gallons of dish soap, that should last a while. Rather than goofing around with silly half quart size dish soap bottles or silly 2 quart liquid laundry soap bottles. All soap must be dry rock hard concentrated, cheaper for fright shipping. Or maybe even have a liquid laundry soap line hooked up to each house, much like our gasoline, diesel and electricity pipe lines we have hooked up to our homes and apartment buildings. Lucy Biggers i love you so much keep up the great work. That is all for now. I can't wait for your next video.

[@em945]

American and canadian companies are fracking elsewhere including here in Australia. Filthy. I feel so much for Jill from Ohio valley. Fracking is suicidal.

[@ricecakeboii94]

Fracking is like the infinite Oil cheat code. We were estimated to run out of oil by the 80’s & two separate occassions in the 90’s. The cost is some random person in the middle of nowhere that gets the L. If/Once OPEC releases more oil they’ll stop the fracking when it becomes unprofitable but $5/gallon gas in California does not help. At this price they can afford to frack in more denser/dangerous places.

[@Helaw0lf]

I've been reusing those single use bags for produce and limiting my visits to the grocer or public.

[@michaelpatrick1236]

Good.

[@FriendlyDutch]

A small step for mankind!

[@spoookyghouly]

This is horrifying and heartbreaking.

[@apoorvagupta742]

It's so much hard for US citizens, to avoid plastic.. still Lucy Is doing an excellent job and creating awareness. I can't imagine going to Costco and target and not bringing plastic... It's just not possible.. still people are hopeful and trying to create alternative choices.. may not be very feasible for everyone but still they are trying and that's make them heroes.

[@gorajing]

Congrats for 100k!!! I’ve been here since your beginnings and you have inspired and educated what this generation needs :) thank you for all the work that you do

[@behr121002]

Thanks Lucy for your efforts to keep us informed about this petrochemical scourge of plastic. We need major changes and restructuring, globally, to eliminate all but the most critical needs for plastic.

[@deirdresturm1709]

Great show! This is definitely one small step we can take.

[@annhopy2220]

If we protest, against the use of plastic bags by using washable cloth bags, that is one step forward. It may be slow but as people start bringing in their own bags instead of using the store bags that will be a start in saying no, even in home repair stores. Here we pay 10 cents per bag but do have a choice of reusable plastic or paper bags. Paper bags can also be reused for many things including mailing gifts, make the package fun and original. On You Tube there are many videos on how to make bags from old clothes, and even for no sew bags. As individuals if we do the changes ourselves, it will show the companies we want the change and that would hopefully get them to change. If the companies change then the message would eventually climb up the ladder, eventually reaching those it really needs to. Could take some big time, but more people would still be doing the right things, and all that adds up in the end, some change for the good is better then no change.

[@steeltoeboots9591]

Wow would have never put the two together but makes sense now.

[@livinglegacy7]

My family and I have been trying "grove" and now we use mostly glass and almost no plastic! Her parents came over and used the products we had in the bathrooms and kitchen. Now they are starting their own subscription and journey into using less plastic! ♻️🌲🌎

[@mikejunior80]

There only one common denominator in all of this: 💰 and greed. That's it.

[@CocoShin]

Incredible video, thank you for shedding light on this topic. I knew that there was a connection between oil and plastic before, but not fracking and oil. I really hope we can pass the Break Free From Plastic Pollution Act.

[@temporary_1239]

This is most certainly shocking. I will try to inform as many as I can of this.

[@annhopy2220]

I had not realized the connection between the two until I watched this video. I personally do not like fracking as it has devastating effects inside our earth and above. As one commenter said " its like taking a dustpan and brush to an earthquake" "Once", you said that spot on, thank you. I do my part in the plastic area. I am not however going out a paying $ to replace everything with glass storage containers, only a very small portion for pacific duties. When I shop I will buy in glass containers and reuse those for left over food, storage containers, etc., Re-use cardboard boxes ordered items came in, re-size, decorate, and make them look nice. I keep coming across these videos that I am learning what I had not known, or known fully. We have one Earth and we are killing her slowly which is taking us with it. We have even polluted outer space, we have no right. Bottom line, it all comes down to money, regardless the cost to anything. So incredibly sad, what the human race is leaving for all our future generations.

[@leahtrevino8080]

Keep doing what your doing Lucy! This video was so informational and mind blowing at the same time.

[@frenchqueen]

Thank you for the information. Unfortunately, I am not too surprised. This country's values need to shift. We cannot have everything be about money first. Life and the right to a healthy life should be primary.

[@LittleRadicalThinker]

My opinion, regulate plastic like it's a drug, wait, like it's poison, wait it's poison... regulate the poison.

[@SeeNickView]

It definitely is a pollutant, and there are arguments that plastics alter hormonal balances in the human body. Can't debate the harm it's having on wildlife though, which would definitely define it as a poison. Wanna remind everyone that EVERY plastic leaches over time, regardless of if it's #2 (HDPE) or #7 (Mixed). No part of life should be excluded from thinking about reducing the presence of plastic.

[@Sarahlenea]

thank you, very interesting and it makes me want to reduce my plastic consumption even more.

[@jenniferschmitzkatze1244]

That's the reason why we in Germany are so against it

[@user-cv1jb9xv2p]

Recently found your channel. Good job. Love and respect from India.

[@evanthe7634]

I'm waiting for the day that owners of these companies cry when their source of income is banned.

[@uttpiew]

Life without plastics can be pretty shocking, too.

[@grayonthewater]

It’s not realistic to expect most consumers to stop buying the products they buy, the packaging needs to be changed. Aluminum cans instead of plastic bottles, paper bags instead of plastic chip bags, no packaging on produce, and refill stations for household items would be amazing. We need to pressure companies to stop the demand for plastic. How easy would it be for like Tide to set up refill stations inside their cleaners retail stores?

[@slothgirl2107]

You deserve at least a million views

[@harveytheparaglidingchaser7039]

Didn't know about this, thanks for posting

[@christinespierling5952]

In the back of my mind I always knew this was not good. Thank you for sharing.

[@byfuzzerabbit]

All my friends still buy plastic water bottles. Some don’t trust the water and others don’t think about it. People don’t seem to care. I been living off the same Nalgene bottle for 11 years now. So i guess the water is safe?

[@ShakenOrStir]

I’d love to work with you in the future :) you’re incredible at spreading important messages and information to the public. What is the best way to get in contact with you for business inquiries?

[@e.priest8937]

Fracking is oil production. Plastic is a petroleum product. But .. customers have to buy all that plastic and plastic packaging . The industry would not invest in making plastics if there was no demand. So this is the supply side. Its a duality.

[@windshipboyd6600]

I agree. People think I’m an eccentric person as I try to use the minimum amount of plastic possible, not an easy feat btw, but so much if the world doesn’t seemed bothered by it.

[@Magda-ko6gj]

We protested here in the beautiful village of Balcombe UK but the fracking Co had a private security firm and loads of police and carried on regardless of our opposition! Our government is now trying to pass a law to make it near on impossible to protest by giving out 10 year prison sentences. We the people have the power and it's time to put aside our petty differences and come together before it's too late!

[@vjpixelfehler]

Funny. In germany they try going for anti-protest-laws, too.

[@tankfire20]

Oil companies are to blame.

[@ricecakeboii94]

If OPEC releases more oil they’ll stop the fracking when it becomes unprofitable but $5/gallon gas in California does not help. US Oil industries only operate when it’s profitable. At this price they can afford to start fracking in more dense/dangerous places. Biden did sign 2,500 new Fracking permits this year.

[@teyspoli-psychonaut3191]

As someone with a history in polyethylene research, and now works for in research for recycling PE, this was one piece of skewed information. I am truly shocked by how the information is presented. Sometimes just even false. “First is to educate yourself” Maybe the production team should “educate” themselves in how PE is much less harmful for the environment than any other packaging alternative once it is not discarded onto the streets, woods and oceans. The problem here is human disregard for the environment. Not the PE itself.

[@CreationVibration]

I don’t see the problem with nurdles. I think they’re delicious, I like to add to rice when I cook it. I add 1/4 cup when I bake a loaf of bread. They don’t work so great in cereal because you can’t really chew them, you really need to cook them in. Most animals don’t really chew anyway though. I never got cancer.

[@frankeyithaka]

Given that I knew plastic is made from oil/gas I'm not surprised that fracking has found a way to make more plastic. Same companies doing a different dance to make the same stuff they've always made.

[@DigitalDuelist]

Her facial expressions in these thumbnails are great

[@jamesfox2857]

Thank You . . .

[@michaelhunte8848]

bong rip sound at 2:30

[@ChrisCrond]

I don't get what the FLIR footage is supposed to show, it's being "used" as pollution even though FLIR only show heat...

[@entretenimiento3347]

Figuring out by what ivsee on media why doesnt the us use power detergejt in bags like many other countries?

[@ellenlandowski1659]

Hemp packaging would easily take over plastic but oil and chemical keep killing the production.

[@Dyejob01]

I've hated franking in and of itself, but now this? Are you kidding?? We must push Congress to pass this legislation to place a moratorium on this process, NOW!!!@ CALL YOUR CONGRESSIONAL LEADERS!!!

[@pHD77]

But what can we use instead to fully replace plastic? It's used in virtually everything. Bottles, phones, remotes, buttons, clothes, cars, etc. Also the profits made from all of this is vast and probably a significant amount of any given country's GDP. It'll certainly be an uphill battle to rid the world of plastic...

[@pHD77]

@8Truth Seeking and then replace corporations with what? When removing something essential, you better have something to replace it with.

[@evanthe7634]

@@pHD77 essential? People lived on their own for thousands of years. It's definitely possible

[@donnyt857]

It’s so scary.

[@a-aron2276]

What I don't understand is if this woman claims she had headaches and neck pains then what must the workers be feeling. No job is worth your health. So what gives? Is this woman a hypochondriac or are there many many workers with health problems that are keeping quiet? I'm not for fracking btw I'm just curious by nature.

[@Perpetual_Kid]

It’s in fabrics too… microfiber, polyester, fleece :/

[@queenmaryellen]

Our grocery sacks have turned into jellyfish.

[@robertrichard6107]

Michael Moore followed the recycle truck that picked up his recycle bin, and it went to the same dump as his garbage.

[@joshuaphillips755]

It is the 18th of July and I'm just now hearing about plastic free July. Fix that.

[@d.cent1326]

WTF!!! WHAT THE FRACK!!!!

[@anotherfate1]

Seems to make sense. Watch where the money goes politically, too. There's a flood of corporate money going against Nina Turner in OH-11.

[@Dan-ud8hz]

Add fire

[@robem8340]

Wow i'm really surprised how much this lady messed up the way a cracking facility works She has absolutely 0% knowledge of the chemicals, where they originate, what happens to them or how this actually works And i know what i'm speaking, i'm a chemical engineer Edit: you apparently also don't know what naphta is...

[@nini9613]

I got so depress3d.

[@verybigowl]

Everyone hates fracking till there house has no heat, there car has no gas and the power goes off because 30% of America's electricity comes from natural gas

[@grmpEqweer]

Frackstic.

[@kevinralph8751]

A lot of misinformation here . I work in the oil industry. Granted, there are a few companies that do not follow the rules. Majority of them do by standards set by your government. 99% of this video was false. Accountability needs to come from the people in large that pollute. That don’t even realize they do it. Let’s look at the main reason we have pollution.

[@wildshepherd5918]

Greedy selfish monsters

[@mikepict9011]

Better then coal . Not as good as nuclear.

[@joshuacallow9192]

I can see the connection but this video kind of gives a vibe of "correlation = cause" which it doesn't, not without following the scientific method. You have a whole bunch of people saying they know people who died of cancer... Are the stats in that particular area higher? What other factors are at play? Just saying there are a lot of holes in the argument people could throw at you.

[@aptorres01]

they r killing Mother Earth and everything on/in it

[@JH-qs9du]

Nah

[@rezhall6652]

Ben Shapiro, candace Owen and Dave Rubin should be forced to live in Jill’s house instead of her

[@markschuette3770]

carbon tax !

[@aptorres01]

Fracking must be banned

[@erinwill6743]

Stop blaming the US and look at China and India and there consumption amd pollution. How did you get to work today? Look at all your products in your house all were either made with oil / gas or transported by fuel. Natural gas has reduced a ton of pollution, oil and gas gas also lifted millions out of poverty. Look at who's funding alternative energy also all of those alternative energy sources still rely of fuel or oil and gas for something. You are being lied to!

[@74thartillery__]

She use a phone made from plastic. she use a camera that made from plastic. she use a car that uses plastic in their part.

[@perpoleper]

She isnt disputing the use of plastics for appliances, mainly the manufacturing and use of single-use plastic bags, cups, and take-out containers. If the production of these single-use plastics are stopped or just greatly diminished there will be much less toxic plastic production.

[@User-LS-n5m]

@74th you really don't get it do you babe? If you use some plastic and continue to reuse it for many years thats nowhere near as bad as constantly buying and tossing plastic lmao i.e. a camera/phone you can keep & use for a long time , a used car and again use that for a long time. These are all things that last many years if kept well.

[@nfgxsilentgamer4314]

Just keep voting republican to prove them wrong 💀💀💀

[@loverrapeace6975]

Doesnt matter who u vote for both sides are controlled by corporations

[@User-LS-n5m]

@@loverrapeace6975 except the right wing side believes climate change is fake and the earth is flat and science is a affront to God??? So???