Silent Spring - Extracted Information (The Obligation to Endure)

[Disclaimer: The informations below are taken from the book 'Silent Spring' written by Rachel Carson with some online researches. If there is any misleading information please let me know.]

(Image taken from the International Center for Autism Research and Education website)

Chapter 2: The Obligation to Endure

Man can hardly even recognise the devils of his own creation.   - Albert Schweitzer

1) After the emergence of life on Earth, physical forms and behaviours of living things are constantly manipulated by the environment so that both hostile and supporting elements can exist at the same time.

• Although there are radiation from natural rocks, cosmic rays, ultraviolet rays from the Sun and chemical leached from various minerals which might cause harm to living things in the environment however man-induced radiations and synthetic chemicals are way more dangerous because counterparts do not appear immediately and suddenly. 
• Pesticides, for example, are non-selective chemicals which are used to destroy pests. 
• As the so called pests develop resistance towards the particular chemical over generations, a more toxic one has to be engineered to counteract the resurgence of resistant pests. 

2) Despite the presence of insects pests, over production of food became a problem in America.

• Soil Bank Acreage Reserve Programme was launched in 1958 in order to reduce surplus crop production by limiting the acreage of basic crops of farmers and paying them. 
• In 1962, more than one billion dollars were paid by American taxpayers each year as total carrying cost of surplus food programme.

More information: Weessels Living History Farm

3) Cultivation of single crops facilitates insect infestation.

• This simplification will lead to an explosion of insect populations that depend on the specific plants to survive because there are more resources available. 

More information: 

Ryerson, K. A. (1933). History and significance of the foreign plant introduction work of the United States. Agricultural History, 7, 110-128.

(Image taken from the Secret of the Fed website)

4) Invasion of non-native insects species was mainly through importation of plants.

• There was no natural enemies existed in the new habitat.
• Almost half of the 180 or so major insect pests in the United States were introduced with nearly 200, 000 species of plants by the United States Office of Plant Introduction. 
• Ecologist Charles Elton pointed out that the invasion of new species from other places occurred naturally in a slow pace, but with assistance from human, it became a menacing threat. 

More information: 

Elton, C. S. (1958). The ecology of invasions by animals and plants. United States: Kluwer Academic Publisher B. V.

5) People were ignorant towards the nature of the threat.

• The manufacturers often claim that their products contain very low dosage of harmful substances that it won't cause any side effect in human health. 
• Truths are often covered up by the dominating industries to earn a fortune through people's limited awareness towards pesticides. 
• Carson did not contend to call for the banning of chemical insecticides but she wanted to let people know what they actually were facing.

Idealises life with only its head out of water, inches above the limits of toleration of the corruption of its own environment... Why should we tolerate a diet of weak poisons, a home in insipid surroundings, a circle of acquaintances who are not quite our enemies, the noise of motors with just enough relief to prevent insanity? Who would want to live in a world which is just not quite fatal?            - Paul Shepard

The obligation to endure gives us the right to know.                - Jean Rostand