Long before melting icebergs and raging forest fires made the climate crisis impossible to ignore, a scientist in the USA had already started sounding the warning bells for the environment.
Marine biologist, author and conservationist Rachel Carson was born in 1907 to a farming family in Springdale, Pennsylvania. In 1962, she wrote a book called ‘The Silent Spring’ which documented the irreversible effects that chemical pesticides had on the environment. Carson accused the chemical industry of blatant disregard for environmental concerns and public officials for looking the other way.
She was one of the first scientists to draw attention to environmental causes. Her seminal work created public awareness, forced the US Government to reverse its national pesticide policy, resulted in a nationwide ban on DDT for agricultural use and led to the formation of the US Environmental Protection Agency.
Her book was a game changer. It challenged industrial capitalism and triggered the first wave of environmental activism. Silent Spring was named one of the 25 greatest science books of all time by Discover Magazine and Rachel Carson was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom 16 years after her death, in 1980.
Picture Credit : Google
