Industrial-Strength Denial
"This book tells the stories of eight major campaigns of corporate denial-the lies, delusions, and rationalizations that emerge when people working in competitive, profit-driven group enterprises are faced with powerful evidence that they are causing harm. In almost every case, the story begins with an exciting discovery-of, for example, a New World, a new element or chemical, a new means of mass production, or a new way of packaging financial risk. An industry races to exploit that discovery and succeeds, sometimes changing society along the way. And in each case this commercial activity causes a grave harm, to other people or the planet. Those outside the industry find evidence of this harm, raise the alarm, and a public debate ensues. Corporate representatives offer a flurry of denials, perpetuating the harm by blocking policies that would reduce it. The specific denials-which are the focus of this book-vary, but the themes echo from campaign to campaign. The stories in this book stand as a reminder of why corporate activity needs to be monitored, challenged, and regulated"--