According to Rachel Carson in Silent Spring, “the most alarming of all man’s assaults upon the environment is the contamination of air, earth, rivers, and sea with dangerous and even lethal materials” (6). Carson’s argument against the use of pesticides “confronted us with the chemical corruption of the globe and called on us to regulate our appetites- a truly revolutionary stance- for our self-preservation” (XIX).
Today, more than ever, we need to follow Carson’s advice and take a stand against companies like Monsanto (one of the largest biotechnology agricultural corporations in the world) who are creating genetically modified crops that are able to withstand their own pesticides. Meaning, that instead of finding an alternative to using pesticides all together, they decided to create crops that can withstand the pesticide so they wouldn’t lose any precious money in pesticide sells. These genetically modified crops are known as Round-Up ready crops and account for 90% of soybeans and 70% of corn and cotton grown in the United States.
There was, awhile back, an interesting article in The New York Times, which called attention to Monsanto’s Round-up ready crops. According to the article, Monsanto’s Round-up ready crops are behind a new species of weed known as the superweed, who, through constant spraying of the pesticide known commonly as Round-up, has been able to rapidly evolve in order to survive. “This has happened because insects, in a triumphant vindication of Darwin’s principle of the survival of the fittest, have evolved super races immune to the particular insecticide used” (8). If we were to replace ‘insects’ with ‘weeds’ we would have exactly what this article is addressing. I find it quite astonishing that Carson had noted this very outcome 50 years ago and had already begun to understand the detrimental effects of pesticide use.
“We are told that the enormous and expanding use of pesticides is necessary to maintain farm production. Yet is our real problem not one of overproduction?” (9). I agree with Carson, if we need to rely heavily on the use of uncontrollable pesticides, rather than using safer and more environmentally-friendly alternatives such as vinegar or hot water, than we may need to slow down and ask ourselves why? We all know and understand that the use of pesticides is dangerous and detrimental not only to our environment but also towards are health, yet why are we still using them on such a grand scale? Why, being as advanced as we are, can we not find a safer alternative that is easier to control and manage on a large scale? “Can anyone believe it is possible to lay down a barrage of poisons on the surface of the earth without making it unfit for all life?” (8).
Rachel Carson’s Silent Spring is an eye-opening account on the use of pesticides and their irreversible effects on both man and wildlife. “… we have allowed these chemicals to be used with little or no advance investigation of their effect on soil, water, wildlife, and man himself. Future generations are unlikely to condone our lack of prudent concern for the integrity of the natural world that supports all life”(13). Through her strong perseverance to protect our environment, we are offered an opportunity to stand up and make a change. That change can come from us coming together, as a community, to get rid of companies like Monsanto who values the dollar over the welfare of human beings.
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/04/business/energy-environment/04weed.html?_r=0