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The state of California has filed a lawsuit against ExxonMobil. California says the company misled people about plastic recycling. According to the state, ExxonMobil is the world’s top producer of single-use plastics that turn into waste. The lawsuit says that for almost 50 years, ExxonMobil falsely said that recycling could solve the plastic waste problem.
Plastic is hard to recycle, and only a small amount is reused. Experts warn that when people say recycling is a solution to plastic waste, people think it is safe to use plastic. This can create more plastic waste. California now blames the oil industry for plastic pollution in the environment, animals, and people.
California Attorney General Rob Bonta said that ExxonMobil has been misleading the public for decades. The company made people believe that plastic recycling could solve the waste problem, even though the company knew it wasn’t true.
In 2022, the attorney general’s office started investigating how the oil industry created the plastic pollution crisis.
The lawsuit says that ExxonMobil broke state laws about natural resources, water pollution, false advertising, and more with misleading marketing about recycling.
One example of this is a 1989 ad in Time magazine that said it was urgent to recycle. By 2015, less than 10 percent of plastic waste was recycled, and most of it went to landfills or in the environment.
ExxonMobil responded by blaming California for not fixing its recycling system and said they could have worked together to solve the problem.
Plastics are made from fossil fuels and cause 4.5 percent of greenhouse gas emissions in the world, more than global shipping.
Vocabulary
- State – A large area of land that has its own government (The USA has 50 states)
- Lawsuit – a complaint or disagreement that you bring to a court 🧑⚖
- File a lawsuit – To officially start a legal case in court; to start a process by which a court of law makes a decision to end a disagreement
- Mislead – To trick someone into believing something that is not true; to lie a little bit
- Recycle – to use again; to change trash into something useable; repurpose; ♻️
- According to – as ‘someone’ said; as stated by ‘someone’; in the opinion of ‘someone’
- Producer – Someone who makes, creates or manufactures something
- Single-use – something that you can only use one time
- Waste – garbage; trash; unwanted materials or products that are thrown away
- Falsely – Not true or correct; a lie
- Solve – to find an answer; to find an explanation; to create a way to fix a problem; answer; work out
- Reuse – to use something again, instead of throwing it away; to use again
- Expert – a person with a lot of knowledge and experience in a trade, job or profession
- Warn – to tell someone about something bad or dangerous that might happen; alert; notify
- Solution – An answer to a problem; a method to fix something
- Blame – to feel, think or say that someone did something wrong;
- Industry – business field; area of work or business; type of business
- Pollution – damage caused to water, air, etc. by harmful substances like chemicals or waste
- Environment – the natural world; the place we live; the area around us; nature; Earth
- Public – general people, all people, citizens; available for all people; open to everyone
- Decade – 10 years; a 10-year period
- Investigate – to research; to study; to find out more
- Crisis – a time of intense difficulty or danger; emergency; hardship
- Break a law – to do something that is illegal or not allowed; Violate or fail to comply with a law or regulation; not follow a law
- Natural resource – Something that is used by many people that comes from nature, like oil, coal, or water
- False advertising – When a company lies about what it’s selling;
- Marketing – advertising; the action or business of promoting and selling products or services
- Advertisement (ad)- marketing or sales material; a notice or sign to promote something
- Urgent – Very important and needs immediate attention; something you have to do now because it’s important
- Landfill – an area where garbage/trash is collected and put under the ground and/or piled up
- Respond – to say or do something in reaction to or because of something–
- Fossil fuel – natural resources like coal, oil, and gas that are made from the remains of ancient plants and animals
- Global – related to the whole world; everywhere in the world; 🌍
- Shipping – the business of transporting things; the business of moving or sending cargo
Quiz
Discussion Questions
- What can be done to reduce plastic waste?
- What do you know about recycling plastic? Has your opinion changed after reading this article?
- Who should be responsible for creating safer products for people and the environment?
- Do you think other oil companies misled people like ExxonMobil did?
- English teachers looking for teaching ideas, check out my post on using easy news articles for lessons.
- English learners looking for study ideas, check out my post on using news stories for English practice.
Original Story
Fill-in-the-Blank Listening Practice
The state of _____ has filed a lawsuit against ExxonMobil. California says the _____ misled people about plastic recycling. According to the _____, ExxonMobil is the world’s top producer of single-use plastics that turn into _____. The lawsuit says that for almost 50 years, ExxonMobil falsely said that _____ could solve the plastic waste problem.
Plastic is _____ to recycle, and only a small amount is reused. _____ warn that when people say recycling is a solution to plastic waste, people _____ it is safe to use plastic. This can create more plastic waste. California now _____ the oil industry for plastic pollution in the environment, animals, and _____.
California Attorney General Rob Bonta said that ExxonMobil has been _____ the public for decades. The company made people _____ that plastic recycling could solve the waste problem, even though the company knew it wasn’t _____.
In 2022, the attorney general’s office _____ investigating how the oil industry created the plastic pollution crisis.
The lawsuit says _____ ExxonMobil broke state laws about natural resources, water pollution, _____ advertising, and more with misleading marketing about recycling.
One example of this is a _____ ad in Time magazine that said it was urgent to recycle. By _____, less than 10 percent of plastic waste was recycled, and most of it went to _____ or in the environment.
ExxonMobil responded by blaming California for not _____ its recycling system and said they could have worked together to _____ the problem.
Plastics are made from fossil fuels and cause 4.5 _____ of greenhouse gas emissions in the world, more than global _____.
