Environmental Issues

The book Silent Spring deals with use of pesticides as way for farmers to deal with insects who damage their crops however their use has far reaching and damaging consequences for nature. In the beginning of the book Carson describes a scenic rural town a farming community rich in flora and fauna which then slowly starts dying, with animals disappearing and with people growing sick. This scene sets the stage for the rest of her book as it shows in quick succession the effects of pesticides on nature and what happens to the humans in the area as a result of their tampering.

The book talks about how humanity has caused irreversible damage to the balance of nature due to the use of pesticides. It talks about how initially pesticides were meant to target only the pests that ate and damaged crops however their continued use gradually seeped into the very land itself. The insects that died along with pests were eaten by birds that started convulsing and dying by the hundreds since their biological systems couldnt cope with the chemicals that were meant to kill insects however were just as good at killing birds as well. This caused the avian population in certain areas to plummet. With no birds to eat them and with insects growing more resistant to the pesticides used farmers found themselves besieged with even more pests which caused them to use even more pesticides.

This over use of pesticides built up in the soil and slowly started seeping into the ground water carrying itself through rivers and streams and then finally reaching the lakes where it contaminated the waters, poisoning fish and other organisms indiscriminately. Going back to very source of the pesticides the farms themselves the book talks about how the crops absorbed the pesticides that the farmers kept on spraying while not exactly killing the plants it did imbue them with chemicals not inherent in their original design. The crops when fully grown are processed, packed and then sent off to be repacked and sold in groceries after which they are consumed by the masses. Image a society eating poisoned grain and not even being aware of it. From young to old eating this sort of poisoned food would have adverse effects on the human body since chemicals meant for killing insects was never meant to be consumed into our very systems. This might explain the growing cases of strange allergies that happen, on how ailments seem to be appearing one after the other and how people seem to be getting sicker even though nothing seems to be wrong.

Not only has the use of pesticides damaged the flora and fauna of an area its continued use would damage the land rendering it infertile for future use.  The end result being the very farmers who used the pesticides to save their crops in the short term wind up losing their livelihoods in the long term since they themselves poisoned the land that they are dependent on.

Towards the end of the book the author talks about natural methods of pest control on how they would be more effective and less damaging on the environment and that if people start now there is still a chance of saving the environment if not the environment will slowly wither and die and humanity is soon to follow as a result of his folly.