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Defects of pesticidesin agriculture
Effects of chemicals on the environment
Pesticides and their harmful effects
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I am writing to you today about the the dyer need for reform within the United State’s Chemical industry. The chemical industry needs more regulation and lacks restrictions that protect mankind from toxicity. Three reasons why there is a need for change is one, unregulated harmful pesticides are bad for the planet. Secondly, toxic chemicals hurt mankind. And lastly, it is apparent that there is a trend within the chemical production system that postpones planes that apply restrictions to certain chemicals being produced. The esteemed Marine Biologist Rachel Carson, sheds light on the loopholes within the chemical production industry during her time, in her essay titled, Silent Spring. Rachel Carson an expert in her field, reveals the loopholes within the chemical production industry during her time. Our author begins by describing an untouched and rich landscape full of greenery and wildlife, not unlike the Garden of Eden. However, as the land becomes populated and soon overrun by mankind it loses its beauty. …show more content…
Many of these chemicals such as insecticides and pesticides, have many harmful attributes. But because there are limited restrictions on the production and use of them mankind as well as our one and only earth is being exposed to toxic chemicals. These toxic chemicals often used in agriculture sink into our soil and are sprayed onto the food that we consume. These chemicals are also designed to kill off certain insects that are detrimental many ecosystems. An article written by senior scientist Richard Denison Ph.D. from the Environmentalist Defense Fund. Denison writes about the plan that was passed by the TSCA in 2016 because many stakeholders agreed that the US needed a firmer federal chemical system. However, 18 months later in December 2017 the EPA backburnered the proposed restrictions on uses of three highly toxic
Rachel Carson, before publishing Silent Spring, would major in marine zoology at Pennsylvania Women's College, where she would develop her interest in the naturalism and conservation going on at the time (Lear, 23). After graduating, she would take a job at the U.S. Bureau of Fisheries, where she would write about different issues concerning the environment at the time. After writing several books to some success, she would begin work on Silent Spring, as she would find her naturalist causes to be her impetus. She even later on in her life wrote to her friends, What I discovered was that everything which meant most to me as a naturalist was being threatened, and that nothing I could do would be more important. " (Carson, 17)
By citing credible organizations and offering her own eco-friendly alternatives, she proves to the reader that she takes a particular interest in the environment and is educated to speak on it. Pairing powerful understatements and hyperboles to contrast with one another show the reader that the practice is both needless and selfish. These rhetorical techniques have a powerful impact on the reader, whose ignorance prior to reading the excerpt can no longer suffices to excuse the lack of action. Rachel Carson’s Silent Spring is a deeply persuasive book that not only advocates for an end to pesticides but also speaks to the obligation humans hold to protect their
In 1962, the publication of Silent Spring Rachel Carson captivated the American public. Carson wrote about the harmful effects of chemical pesticides in the environment, and her writing was very reflective of the events occurring at the time. There is a strong connection between Carson’s writing and the Cold War. In fact, if it were not for the war, the American public may not have responded in the same way to Carson’s writing. Carson used tone and content as methods of getting her point across to the public. Silent Spring shined a light on the damage done to the environment as a result of the Cold War, and this issue was finally being recognized by American public.
The genius of Rachel Carson and her phenomenal capabilities in the power of rhetoric and convincing have turned this unknown female biologist in a male dominant world during the twentieth century, into the leader and the creator of the modern environmental movement. The environmental movement, the movement concerned about the wellbeing of our planet and saving it from man’s own self-destruction and arrogance was lunched due to the efforts of Carson and the publication of her book Silent Spring in 1962, the movement persists till this day. Even though Carson was neither a chemist nor an entomologist, she had a passion for our wonderful environment, and therefore she educated herself in those fields. Her passion lead her to take a stand where others failed to do so. Nonetheless, the marvelous
The history of life on earth could be thought of as a record of living things interacting with their surroundings; for most of history, this has meant that life molds over time by the environment it inhabits; however, very recently, humans have become capable of altering the environment in significant ways (Carson 49). Marine Biologist, Rachel Carson, in her environmental sciences book, The Silent Spring, documents the detrimental effects on the environment by the indiscriminate use of pesticides. Carson argues vigilantly in an attempt to persuade her extremely diverse and expansive global audience, under the impression that chemicals, such as DDT, were safe for their health, that pesticides are in fact detrimental for their health. Through
Rachel Carson, born during the industrial boom in a small town called Springdale. There, a glue factory very near to her home exposed Carson, at a young age, to some of the effects chemicals can have on a small town. As Carson grew so did her ambitions to learn more about the environment. This determination won her a scholarship to Pennsylvania College for Women and later she furthered her education at Johns Hopkins University, studying Marine Biology. She was a woman always supportive to her family, so when financial trouble hit home, Carson left school to aid. She ended up writing her first book Under the Sea-Wind in 1941, which put financial issues at bay and left her with the ability to continue her studies, (Griswold). In the 1950`s Carson began to research the use of pesticides and their effects on the food chain and environment, leading to her most influential book being published in 1962. Silent Spring written by Rachel Carson changed the course of history because it informed the general public about what harms humans can do to the environment of our world and to the human race itself.
What would take its place were a global economy and a fragmented understanding. This new era was characterized by big cities, fruits being readily available during obscure times of the year, and, consumer goods being flown into any part of the world. Now the days of small villages and locality were growing scarce. As humans continually lose track of the story behind the beginning and the consequences of the lack thereof; the population remains in a state of conflict with the life that supports them. In 1962, “Silent Spring” by Rachel Carson’s acted as the catalyst to Suzuki and many others understanding of what the environmental movement would come to be. The definition would take on several different faces throughout the world, ranging from logging to, chemical pesticides, and CFCs. The pesticide DDT and the effect it had within the food chain resulted in the increasing number of deaths of birds. The chemicals that make up CFCs, found in deodorant, ended in the ongoing depletion of the ozone layer. From these cases, a new realization of what consequences ignorance brings and raises the new question of how to predict and stop
To help keep crops from being destroyed, conventional farmers use many methods such as pesticides, herbicides, and fungicides. Nearly 1 billion pounds of these chemicals are used every year (“pesticides”). Because of this excessive use, some scientists express concern that using artificial chemicals in the farming process could produce unhealthy crops. People who ate it over a long period of time could suffer from degraded health and stunted growth (“Organic Foods”). For example, in 1989, the EPA banned the use of Alar which was a chemical used to ripen apples (“Farming, Organics”). This chemical proved to be carcinogenic after causing tumors in mice after several laboratory tests (“Organic Food”). As a result of these findings there was a dramatic increase of the sales for organic food (“Organic Food”). Another study found that Atrazine (one of the most widely used herbicides in the United States) has the potential of being carcinogenic and reducing sperm counts in males (“Organic Food”). This was further proven when evidence was found that chemicals u...
...ortation of plants, fruits, vegetables, and animals. Indiscriminate pesticide use kills the good with the bad. Long term and wide spread pesticide use poisons underground water sources, which, in turn, poison plants, animals, and humans. And, finally, by our uninformed actions, new super races of pests continue to evolve and create even greater dangers than the original.
Rachel Carson’s “ Silent Springs” was written with the intent to warn the public of the harmful use of chemical pesticides such as DDT. Soon after excerpts of Carson’s “ Silent Springs” started appearing in The New Yorker and succeeding in warning the general public of DDT and other pesticides; chemical manufactures took to the public as well to express the positive outcomes of DDT and other pesticides. Thus leading to one of the biggest controversial arguments on a book that Justice William O. Douglas called the “ most important chronicle of the century”. (Indiana.edu)
For instance, in Seeds of Death, Monsanto spread roundup, a pesticide, on their crops and realized a roundup resistance bacteria continued to grow. In response to this, Monsanto collected the bacteria and took a piece of its DNA to create roundup resistant crops. Although this seems like a good idea, it makes crops weaker and makes it easier for crops to be wiped out by a stronger disease. In addition to this, the pesticides also pull nutrients from the soil, therefore resulting in the microorganisms in the soil being killed. This, in turn, leads to the soil being filled with poison and also being infertile in the near future. The worst part about these pesticides is that once it enters the environment, it’s in the environment
As time has progressed, there has always been an overarching need for high amounts of crop production throughout the world. With the rapid rate of population growth, the need for crops and other sources of nutrients is only increasing. In order to meet these high demands and increase yields, farmers and other agriculturalists have started implementing the use of pesticides. These chemical mixtures are being used in order to prevent, destroy, repel or mitigate any pests from destroying growing crops. However, using pesticides on crops can create massive amounts of pollution, negatively affect an individual’s health, and can spark biodiversity loss within an ecosystem. According to Michael C.R. Alavanja, “Over 1 billion pounds of pesticides are used within the United States (US) each year and approximately 5.6 billion pounds are used worldwide”. With all this in mind, it is clear that pesticides should not be made available to farmers and agriculturalists, and should
Rachel Carson’s Silent Spring revolutionized the American point of view concerning the environment. It rejected the notion that pesticides and chemicals are the right choice for “controlling” various animals that are seen as an inconvenience. Carson writes about the dangers of pesticides, not only to nature but man himself.
I remember when I first thought about the power one person could have to create change. I was a teenager growing up in the South when I read Rachel Carson’s book “Silent Spring”. This beautifully written book is a powerful indictment of the widespread use of pesticides. Rachel Carson criticized the chemical companies for claiming that pesticides were safe despite mounting evidence to the contrary. And she criticized public officials who accepted the chemical industry’s claims.
Pesticides could seep into the soil killing plants already there, and plants that might be planted there later. Over use of aerosol pesticides can make the air polluted and unsafe to breathe, if too much is ingested it could cause problems like lung cancer and