Toxic Tropics
A Horror Story of Environmental Injustice
Format:Paperback
Publisher:Street Noise Books
Published:13th Mar '25
Should be back in stock very soon
An in-depth piece of comics journalism exploring the persistent use of the deadly chemical Chlordecone to support the banana crops in Martinique and Guadeloupe.
In 1975, pesticide producer LifeSciences closed their plant that produced the chemical chlordecone, after numerous employees had toxic chemical poisoning, and the local river had been polluted. But in the French Antilles, farmers continued to use the pesticide. Even after it was banned in 1993, planters continued to illegally import and use it. Chlordecone use became so widespread that it was in almost everything people on the islands ate and drank.
Today, 95% of the inhabitants of Guadeloupe and 92% of the inhabitants of Martinique are contaminated by the chemical, and the islands have one of the highest cancer rates in the world.
In this richly illustrated work, the author brings her personal experience and connection to the story as she interviews scores of local people as well as scientists and government officials to uncover the true story behind the decision to continue poisoning the water and the soil for the sake of global commerce. We, as global citizens, are urged to consider the decisions we are making through our consumer choices and how they affect the health of the planet and the survival of communities throughout the world.
“Environmental justice is fundamentally about people, and this beautifully rendered graphic novel captures the human relationships and communities involved in a chemical catastrophe that spans generations. At a time when we too often take food security and safety for granted, this novel weaves together the true story of dangerous chemical residues from insecticides with colorful graphic panels, reminding us to ask questions and fight for global environmental justice.” —Dr. Jessica L. Ware, Curator and Division Chair of Invertebrate Zoology at the American Museum of Natural History
“Investigative journalism has rarely been so thorough and yet so thoroughly beautiful.” —Zach Weinersmith, author of the New York Times bestseller Soonish
“Oublié interviews experts, journalists, farmers, and others to unpack the scientific evidence of harms to humans and the environment. She unspools a nuanced story of racism, business interests, governmental indecision, and infuriating imprecision about the alleged health effects, which range from cancer to autism. [To] effectively remind readers of the human cost behind the headlines. The result is a nuanced conversation starter about the long tail of pollution.” —Publishers Weekly
“Chlordecone is an obsolete insecticide first produced in the United States in 1966. Although it was banned there in 1976, some countries used it for decades more. Until 1993, France allowed its use for banana farming in Guadeloupe and Martinique, where it was found in the water, soils and crops—and 92-95% of people. Journallist Jessica Oublié captures, through the eyes of her family and other islanders, as well as scientists and politicians, this complex, cancerous story in her investigative graphic novel.” —Nature Magazine
“A graphic exploration of how Guadeloupe and Martinique became among the most polluted places on Earth. . . . By turns thoughtful and devastating, this book reveals how a little-discussed pesticide problem points to a brand of colonialism that continues to cause suffering to people and the environment int he name of profit. . . Unnervingly illuminating.” —Kirkus Reviews
ISBN: 9781951491345
Dimensions: unknown
Weight: unknown
240 pages