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Plastic Ocean: How a Sea Captain's Chance Discovery Launched a Determined Quest to Save the Oceans Paperback – Illustrated, September 4, 2012

by Charles Moore (Author), Cassandra Phillips (Author)
4.5 out of 5 stars 118 ratings
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The researcher who discovered the Great Pacific Garbage Patch—and remains one of today's key advocates for plastic pollution awareness—inspires a fundamental rethinking of the modern Plastic Age. 

In 1997, environmentalist Charles Moore discovered the world's largest collection of floating trash—the Great Pacific Garbage Patch ("GPGP")—while sailing from Hawaii to California. Moore was shocked by the level of pollution that he saw. And in the last 20 years, it's only gotten worse—a 2018 study has found that the vast dump of plastic waste swirling in the Pacific Ocean is now bigger than France, Germany, and Spain combined—far larger than previously feared.

In Plastic Ocean, Moore recounts his ominous findings and unveils the secret life of plastics. From milk jugs and abandoned fishing gear to polymer molecules small enough to penetrate human skin and be unknowingly inhaled, plastic is now suspected of contributing to a host of ailments, including infertility, autism, thyroid dysfunction, and certain cancers. An urgent call to action, Plastic Ocean's sobering revalations have been embraced by activists, concerned parents, and anyone alarmed by the deadly impact and implications of this man-made environmental catastrophe.
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  1. Print length
    400 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publication date
    September 4, 2012
  4. Dimensions
    5.5 x 1 x 8.25 inches
  5. ISBN-10
    1583335013
  6. ISBN-13
    978-1583335017
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Customer reviews

4.5 out of 5 stars
118 global ratings

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Customers say

Customers find this book to be a must-read, with one mentioning it takes them on a journey. The information quality receives positive feedback, with one customer highlighting its comprehensive coverage of plastic history. Customers appreciate the book's content about ocean life, with one noting that oceans are the earth's lungs, and another discussing surprising sources of plastic waste.

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29 customers mention "Readability"24 positive5 negative

Customers find the book highly readable, describing it as a compelling and must-read that serves as an excellent reference, with one customer noting it takes the reader on a journey.

"Plastic Ocean was a totally enjoyable read, mixing biographical adventure with scientific research in just the right proportions for a book intended..." Read more

"This is an extremely well-written and well-documented book about how we are destroying the oceans and ultimately ourselves with plastic...." Read more

"...a lot of facts and numbers and figures but definitely a great book for someone interested and invested in the environment and the oceanic world...." Read more

""Plastic Ocean" is a must read! The story of Captain Charles Moore, Citizen Scientist, who stumbled upon modern civilization's dirty little secret...." Read more

6 customers mention "Information quality"6 positive0 negative

Customers appreciate the book's information quality, with one customer noting it is packed with facts about plastic history, while others highlight its scientific content.

"...a totally enjoyable read, mixing biographical adventure with scientific research in just the right proportions for a book intended for general..." Read more

"This book is 17 hours of audio book. It is a lot of facts and numbers and figures but definitely a great book for someone interested and invested in..." Read more

"While the writing is at times redundant, the information is rock solid and comprehensive...." Read more

"...The book takes the reader on a journey -- of ocean voyage, of scientific discovery, and as detective...." Read more

4 customers mention "Plastic use"4 positive0 negative

Customers appreciate the book's coverage of plastic pollution in oceans, with one customer highlighting surprising sources of waste and another noting its impact on marine ecosystems.

"...Page 305: "Long-term value means not only durability, but recyclability...." Read more

"...NEEDS to read this and begin making changes in their homes to cut down plastic usage, STOP buying H2O in plastic bottles...." Read more

"...with information about the history of plastic and the surprising sources of the plastic waste that can be found in the ocean...." Read more

"This book details how much plastic has polluted our oceans. It inspired me to become as "plastic-free" in my life as possible...." Read more

3 customers mention "Ocean life"3 positive0 negative

Customers appreciate the book's focus on ocean life, with one customer noting that the ocean serves as the earth's lungs.

"...for someone interested and invested in the environment and the oceanic world...." Read more

"...The ocean is the lungs of the earth and teems with life. If we continue the destruction, the consequences will be devastating." Read more

"...return it to that essential place in our hearts and souls. Oceans are our life...this book is an essential read!" Read more

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Top reviews from the United States

  • DJH90803
    5.0 out of 5 stars Important, informative...and entertaining, too!
    Reviewed in the United States on February 10, 2012
    Verified Purchase
    Plastic Ocean was a totally enjoyable read, mixing biographical adventure with scientific research in just the right proportions for a book intended for general public and policy makers. The writing style is witty and clear - Absolutely loved the reference to the "eco-cognitive disconnect" of health food stores...
    And, although the information contained in the book has frightening implications for the planet, the book is not a downer. Moore presents real solutions from personal to policy level (not silly ideas like using huge nets to remove trash from the oceans). The reader can leave feeling not just informed but empowered. And, as everyone knows, the first step to solving a problem is acknowledging it.
    Here in California, Capt. Moore's work is already having an effect - single use plastic bags have been banned in many cities, the ubiquitous single use plastic water bottle of the "healthy crowd" is largely replaced by stainless steel reusable bottles, enlightened restaurants are using biodegradable take-out containers made of sugar cane pulp. These are the first small steps in a long journey, but thanks in large part to Capt. Moore, the journey has begun.
    6 people found this helpful
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  • Novellen
    5.0 out of 5 stars Everyone should read this book!
    Reviewed in the United States on July 15, 2012
    Verified Purchase
    This is an extremely well-written and well-documented book about how we are destroying the oceans and ultimately ourselves with plastic. It is not a light-hearted and fun read, but it is horrifyingly informative. I have changed my attitude toward all plastic products and am trying to eliminate them from my life. I always take shopping bags to the store - EVERY store, not just the grocery store - and I use them. I live on the coast and always take bags with me when I am on the beach, to collect beach trash. I never come back empty-handed. It is too easy for Americans to be complacent about how easy it is to get things in plastic wrappers and just toss the plastic, but this book points out how dangerous that behavior is for our own future. We need to come up with alternatives to plastic, and it's important for us to hold the producers of these products accountable for distributing them. Read this book! You will never look at plastic the same.
    4 people found this helpful
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  • Andrew
    5.0 out of 5 stars Fantastic book full of research
    Reviewed in the United States on July 24, 2018
    Verified Purchase
    This book is 17 hours of audio book. It is a lot of facts and numbers and figures but definitely a great book for someone interested and invested in the environment and the oceanic world. Science majors would love all of the elements and the science behind plastic. I feel like it could have been a lot shorter of a book to drive home the point but I really enjoyed it and I have definitely made a lot of changes of cutting out plastic in our home.
    One person found this helpful
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  • James Charnock
    4.0 out of 5 stars Plastic, Plastic Everywhere!
    Reviewed in the United States on February 28, 2012
    Verified Purchase
    The authors start the book out like it is a diary and it just doesn't hold the interest or imagination. It has way too much detail: Who cares if Moore borrowed his mother's '91 matron beige Cadillac coupe de ville for a trip (p. 89). It's details like this that slows down the story of PLASTIC OCEAN.

    So, if you want to get into the excitement of the book skip to Chapter Six.

    By the way, Apple's Steve Jobs is not idolized in this book because he--and others--were pushing iPods (a new one each year) "containing a myriad of toxic metals as well as waning resources like copper and oil [and, of course, there's plastic]--innovation and [non]disposability join hands for one reason: profit" (p. 96).

    This is, of course, a non-fiction book. So, I will relate it to you via quotes that will, hopefully, shake you up as much as they did me:

    Page 135: "More food processing means more food packaging, mostly plastic."

    Page 139: "In this topsy-turvy world, what cheers investors bring environmentalists to tears."

    Page 149: "Plastics are winning and are predicted to overtake paper as the reigning packaging material by 2014."

    Page 150-1: "We need to stop cultivating innovation for its own sake and start thinking MORALLY [emphasis mine] and ecologically about the innovations we embrace. Is it worth trashing the planet? Each purchase should be a moral decision."

    Page 152: In the north central Pacific waters is a place referred to as "Plastic Stew." But plastic is ubiquitous in many places in the ocean.

    Page 157: "Albatross chicks by the tens of thousands perish each year, stuffed by their well-meaning parents with plastic non-food"--that comes from both land and water vessels.

    Page 160: "Tens of thousands of northern fur seals [are] being killed by abandoned [plastic] nets."

    Page 168: "Companies [ships] are not legally required to report [plastic container] spills [because] they are considered non-toxic. The ship owner escapes liability for any cleanup."

    Page 172: "Whale feeding mostly happens near the sea surface where plastic fragments mingle with and mimic legitimate organisms."

    Page 200: "...Plastic debris is second only to commercial fishing as a killer of marine life..."

    Page 204: "...An estimated million seabirds are killed each year by entanglement in longlines [net lines] and 100,000 turtles and marine mammals."

    Page 277: "Most of the 300 billion pounds of plastics produced each year start out s pellets. If a tenth of a percent escape to the oceans, that's a 150,000 ton annual deposit."

    Page 259: "The United States lags behind Europe in technology [that converts some plastics to less harmful chemical compositions]."

    Page 300: "There's just not enough profit in recovering, sorting, cleaning, processing and remanufacturing infinitely variable plastics. This is why we need extended PRODUCER RESPONSIBILITY [emphasis mine] so industry won't make things that it can't economically recover."

    Page 305: "Long-term value means not only durability, but recyclability. This takes the onus off consumption as the problem and puts it on industrial design, which must devise recyclable compounds for each product--to achieve zero waste."

    Finally, the book deals with the new field of "green chemistry" and the idea of recycling entrepreneurs.

    I gave this book a 4 because the writing undulates between exciting and boring. The subject itself, though, micro-plastics in the ocean, deserves serious attention.
    10 people found this helpful
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  • Georgia B. Armstrong
    5.0 out of 5 stars Tremendous book
    Reviewed in the United States on January 4, 2014
    Verified Purchase
    Everyone should read this book to see how we are despoiling our oceans. When I finish it, I'm going to sign and date it, then pass it on to someone else. The more people who read this book, the better. We are ruining the very oceans we need to survive, we're overfishing them, allowing oil companies to make their nasty spills, which can never be entirely cleaned up. Now they're wanting to get their nasty claws into the Arctic and I want to see them try to clean up a spill in a raging winter storm in sub-zero weather with 20 foot waves towering. It can't be done and they'll kill so many valuable, helpless animals that are just trying to live their lives as they have always done. The Arctic should be a no-man's zone where man is not allowed. Read the book.
    2 people found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

  • Sue Buesnel
    5.0 out of 5 stars Plastic Ocean highlights a problem we should all be aware of.
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on April 16, 2013
    Verified Purchase
    I only became aware of the plastic problem in the oceans after seeing films and artwork from ocean debris in Auckland during the ocean race. Initially I thought that this was a problem solely affecting marine life - which is bad enough. However, this book increased my knowledge and is a must read for anyone interested in a healthy future for all. It is an easy read, well written with links to websites for further information for those readers who are inspired to try and make a difference - even if it is just recycling and buying more local produce (which generally have less packaging)!
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  • fink beynon
    4.0 out of 5 stars Four Stars
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on June 6, 2017
    Verified Purchase
    A good read and a must if you're at all concerned about what's being put into the sea
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