Silent spring and beyond Flashcards
who wrote silent spring and when
Rachel Carson 1962
what did silent spring lead to
public concern of pesticides and pollution of the environment.
facilitated the ban of the pesticide DDT in 1972 in USA
what is the idea behind silent spring
chemical pollution in the natural environment results in a spring without songbirds.
build up of these chemicals through the trophic levels from crops to animals - predators
positive feedback bad for envt
about Rachel Carson
- born 1907
- masters degree in zoology
- author of other books - ‘the sea around us’,’edge of the sea’,’under the sea wind’
- target audience were housewives
whats the book ‘our synthetic environment’ about?
same argument as Carson
flopped at publication
Carsons was more of a personalised take so people can see themselves
why was silent spring a success?
lots of concern about radiation at the time due to nuclear war threats. Carsons talk about silent killer was relevant.
other books at the time focuses on a moral call to arms
60/70s was rapid time of change
evidence based writing
about DDT
dichlorvos diphenyl trichloroethane
- non-selective so kills everything in its path
- first developed in 1874
- insecticidal properties not discovered till 1939
- used in WW2 to control malaria and typhus
- discovered by Paul Hermann muller
- after WW2 increased for agricultural use
- sprayed out of planes onto forests to kill insects. sprayed on planes to stop disease. used in domestic settings
- is now concidered a probable carcinogen
DDT impact on bird mortality
first noted in 1950s
- sprayed to kill beetles carrying dutch elm disease
- study by barker 1958 showed accumulation of DDT in lethal levels to robins in earthworms- showed how it was due to food not water
1963 bird study
decline in peregrine falcons in UK - secondary victims of agricultural toxic chemicals
poisons accumulate leading to a lethal dose
eggshell thinning on eggs as an effect - issue for other birds too. wouldn’t hatch
how did emergence in public literature help
showed value of birds
‘poisoning of natural landscae’
public eye
USA legislation
ban of DDT in 1972 by EPA
silent spring rallied for social movements
rise of ecofeminism
Carson testified before Kennedy
whats the environmental defence fund
result of Carsons campaigning 1967
non profit
law suit against gvt
2001 stockholm convention
100 countries signed UN treaty - eliminate use of 12 persistent, toxic compounds including DDT
- use of pesticides only for controlling malaria
backlash on carson
sceptics say millions suffered as a result of the ban
Carson blamed for rise in malaria
DDT and malaria
DDT is low cost, easy application and efficient
graphs show a trend in DDT and malaria, but must be careful as need to consider other factors variables
-DDT is now one of 12 pesticides recommended by WHO for indoor spray programmes
