Exploring themes of obligation and the haunting presence of the past, the narrative delves into the desires of hungry ghosts that seek acknowledgment rather than revenge. These spectral figures symbolize the unaddressed responsibilities and emotional burdens that individuals often ignore. The story challenges readers to confront their own shortcomings and the consequences of neglecting these deep-seated connections, ultimately urging a reckoning with personal and collective histories.
Landscapes and Legacies of Urban Decline
Focusing on the decline of manufacturing and its effects on urban identity, this comparative study explores regeneration efforts and their broader implications for urban theory and policy. It offers critical insights into how cities can navigate economic shifts and cultural transformations, making it a significant resource for understanding contemporary urban challenges.
Drawing on research from high-level industry meetings, petrochemical plant tours, and polluted communities in the United States, China, Europe, Alice Mah examines the changing nature of the petrochemical industry as it faces the existential threats of climate change and environmental activism.
Despite the global movement to tackle plastic pollution, demand for plastics continues to rise. As the world transitions away from fossil fuels, plastics are set to be the biggest driver of oil demand. Single-use plastics – deemed essential in the fight against COVID-19 – have been given a new lease of life. In a world beset with crisis fatigue, what can we do to curb the escalating plastics crisis? In this book, Alice Mah reveals how petrochemical and plastics corporations have fought relentlessly to protect and expand plastics markets in the face of existential threats to business. From denying the toxic health effects of plastics to co-opting circular economy solutions to plastic waste and exploiting the opportunities offered up by the global pandemic, industry has deflected attention from the key problem: plastics production. The consequences of unfettered plastics growth are pernicious and highly unequal. We all have a part to play in reducing plastics consumption but we must tackle the problem at its root: the capitalist imperative for limitless growth.
This rich comparative study makes an essential contribution to far-reaching debates about the decline of manufacturing, regeneration, and identity, and will have important implications for urban theory and policy.