Here's Why You Should Know Rachel Carson

Nature is prevalent around our entire planet, and while we’ve discovered a lot of it, there’s so much more to be seen. From the smallest insects to the largest sea creatures, and the fungal networks to the enormous redwood trees, nature is truly incredible. Not only does nature provide us with resources, materials, and food, but it also prevents natural disasters, diseases, and even climate change. The true power that nature has is unimaginable. Rachel Carson knew this and knew even more that humans couldn’t hope to control the magical entity nature is.

The American marine biologist, writer, and conservationist, Carson's influential book Silent Spring is credited with advancing the global environmental movement. As a lifelong writer, she used her science background and editing chops to create some of the most moving and eye-opening works on nature. She was bold, brave, and stood up for what she believed in. Perhaps most impressive of all, she challenged practices that were harming the Earth over 50 years ago including the chemical and pesticide industry.

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Publications And Work

Carson began working at the U.S. Bureau of Fisheries, where she wrote copy for a radio series. Impressively, she became the second woman to ever be hired full-time by them. Immersed in fish populations and marine biology, she began to write articles for other publications too. Several years later, an article turned into a book alongside a series of very successful literature. She wrote several more books throughout her life, culminating in bestsellers and several awards. She was also a successful speaker and a part of an Academy Award-winning documentary.

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Silent Spring

Perhaps Carson's most famous piece of writing is Silent Spring. Silent Spring warned Americans against the use of pesticides, particularily noting Dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (DDT), which came onto the market during WWII.

"These sprays, dusts, and aerosols are now applied almost universally to farms, gardens, forests, and homes-nonselective chemicals that have the power to kill every insect, the 'good' and the 'bad,' to still the song of birds and the leaping of fish in the streams, to coat the leaves with a deadly film, and to linger on in soil-all this though the intended target may be only a few weeds or insects. Can anyone believe it is possible to lay down such a barrage of poisons on the surface of the earth without making it unfit for all life? They should not be called 'insecticides,' but 'biocides.'" Rachel Carson, Silent Spring

Harmful chemical pesticides were used and approved by the government and by agricultural scientists, but the long-term impacts and harm that these caused to the natural ecosystems around the world were ignored.

After speaking out, Carson received pushback. She was dubbed an alarmist, and her credibility was challenged by those same chemical and government agents who were wrecking our home. These villains did not succeed in scaring her off, and she testified before Congress in 1963, urging new policies to be implemented that protect both human life and the lives of everything else sharing this planet with us. This action sparked a national awareness over the use of pesticides.

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Posthumous Impact

As much as she was able to accomplish in her life, her words lived on after her passing as well. After being taken by breast cancer, several of her pieces and letters were still published. She has inspired a whole new wave of environmentalism and social justice. She is also largely credited with inspiring the rise of ecofeminism.

With her books still in print today, it’s clear that Rachel accomplished her goal of teaching people about the marvelous depth and wonder of the natural living world. More concretely, she was a huge factor in banning the harmful DDT in the United States. Rachel was given a huge amount of honors and dedication after her death, all because she stood up for what she believed in and never backed down.