May 27, 20212 min read
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RACHEL CARSON AND ENVIRONMENTAL ACTIVISM
J. Shaw
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Many of the quotes peppered throughout this site come from or were inspired by Rachel Carson’s 1962 book, Silent Spring, a major landmark for the global environmentalism movement. However, after over half a century of inaction and collective amnesia, and as we continue to destroy nature at an alarmingly accelerated rate, its message is more relevant than ever. Ecological public health theorists have only recently started to problematise the medical research community's failure to engage in a timely manner with Carson’s pioneering arguments regarding the negative human and environmental health impact of synthetic biocides and related chemicals, as industry’s quest for profit widens further the dislocation between the human and ‘natural’ worlds . Although it is now widely accepted that synthetic chemicals are impacting on both human health and global climate-change in unprecedented ways as reflected in the United Nations’ Environment Programme, why has it taken over 60 years for Carson’s views to be taken on board by mainstream science? The answers to this question will be important for tackling the remaining cultural and political obstacles towards effecting remedial action.​
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FURTHER RESOURCES:
FURTHER READING:
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Carson, R. 1962. Silent Spring. Boston: Houghton Mifflin.
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Genuis, S.J. 2012. What’s Out There Making Us Sick? Journal of Environmental and Public Health 2012, art. no. 605137.
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Morris, G. & Saunders, P. 2017. The Environment in Health and Well-being. Oxford Research Encyclopedia of Environmental Science. Vol. 2017
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Rockström, J., Steffen, W., Noone, K., et al. 2009. Planetary Boundaries: Exploring the Safe Operating Space for Humanity. Ecology and Society 14(2): 32.
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Steffen, W., Richardson, K., Rockström, J. et al. 2015. Planetary Boundaries: Guiding Human Development on a Changing Planet. Science 349: 1286–1287.
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United Nations. 2019. United Nations Environment Programme, Global Chemicals Outlook II. From Legacies to Innovative Solutions: Implementing the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development: Synthesis Report.
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Williams, K. 2007. Historical and Emerging Themes in Parenteral Manufacturing Contamination Control. In: Williams, K. (ed.). Endotoxins: Pyrogens, LAL Testing and Depyrogenation, pp. 1–22, Boca Raton (FL): Taylor & Francis.
"Human activity, including economic activity, is now directly and indirectly driving changes to the ecosystems and planetary processes on which we rely for health, well-being, and existence. For too long, human beings have lived, moved, consumed, and pursued health and well-being as if humankind is distinct and separate from nature rather than integral to it. The consequences of this disconnect for the natural world were graphically expressed by Rachel Carson in the 1960s …. However, developments in science and technology now reveal the true extent of the crisis, its accelerating nature, and its consequences both now and in the medium and longer term."
George Morris and Patrick Saunders. The Environment in Health and Well-being (2017, 16).
Rachel Carson on our blog
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