2012 is the 50th anniversary of the publication of Rachel Carson’s book Silent Spring. This book which was first published in 1962 is credited with sparking the beginning of the modern environmental movement, especially in the United States. Silent Spring addressed the effects of pesticides on the environment, focusing primarily on birds. Carson critiqued the chemical industry of spreading incorrect information, and government officials of accepting industry reports that were inaccurate. The book supported the development of environmental consciousness and led to the regulation of pesticide use in North America and Europe.
Rachel Carson was a scientist, writer, and ecologist. She worked for the U.S. Bureau of Fisheries and wrote radio scripts during the Depression. She also wrote feature articles on natural history for the Baltimore Sun. She was a scientist and eventually became Editor-in-Chief of all publications for the U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service. She did a variety of writing, which included pamphlets on conservation and natural resources, scientific articles, and also nonfiction articles in popular publications such as the Atlantic Monthly.
Carson was attacked by some individuals in government and in the chemical industry as being an alarmist, but her voice served to remind us that we are a vulnerable part of the natural world subject, and that we can experience the same damage as the rest of the ecosystem.
In order to celebrate the 50th anniversary of Silent Spring Mark Wilson, a PhD candidate at the University of Northumbria in Newcastle, England recorded a podcast that explores the significance of the book. Wilson has written a study which compares the response to Silent Spring in the US and Britain. The Podcast is on the Environmental History Resource Website and can be streamed from the site.
Image Source:
Life and Legacy of Rachel Carson
Links:
Life and Legacy of Rachel Carson
Silent Spring at 50: a Comparison Perspective Podcast