How do human beings encounter and live within their environments? Although modern amenities protect humans from the harsh realities of nature, being alone forces humans to abide by the rules of their environments. Technology serves as a barrier to the environment, as “the countless ways in which your life--and any meaning, comfort, safety, or happiness you may find in life--depends on technology” (Rand). Because of this separation, people are led to believe that they are immune to the dangers of nature. However, this is not the case. Without homes and modern conveniences, even a city would be a difficult place to inhabit alone. One example of this is Maggie, from Maggie: A Girl of the Streets. With no support from her family, she can’t …show more content…
Although civilization has allowed people to place themselves in a different category than nature, humans are a part of the natural world. With this power also comes the responsibility to act in ways that don’t harm other forms of life. In Silent Spring, Rachel Carson brings to light the harmful effects of DDT and pesticide usage. At the time, common citizens weren’t concerned about the environment, and accepted pesticide use as a method to eradicate insect problems. However, by focusing on these single issues, people were missing the larger picture. Not only were pesticides killing the intended targets, but they also killed other forms of life as well. Similar to the main idea of “Thinking Like a Mountain,” people missed the larger consequences of their actions. By focusing on only human desires in regards to the environment, the needs of all other life on Earth is neglected. Even when humans are taken into account first, some of these decisions can actually cause more harm than good. Destroying the Earth is simultaneously destroying humans, because they depend on the environment for survival. Eradicating one species of insects, for example, can have serious unintended effects. These pesticides can kill of pollinating insects as well, which in turn reduces crop outputs. All living things in the natural world depend on one another, just as people depend on one another in human environments. It is the responsibility of all people to protect this delicate
Carson appeals to the arousal of the basic emotions, such as the arousal of fear in the public. Carson also appeals to pathos, or the emotions, by questioning the “highly intelligent” creators of these pesticides. Carson believes irrational bad decisions based on faulty evidence threaten the future existence of mankind. “Along with the possibility of the extinction of mankind by nuclear war, the central problem of our age has therefore become the contamination of man’s total environment with such substances of incredible potential for harm-substances that accumulate in the tissues of plants and animals and even penetrate the germ cells to shatter or alter the very material of heredity upon which the shape of the future depends.” However, the statement supports Carson’s intention to present a persuasive, and logical point of view without confusing the reader; suggesting she ment to go against a patient audience rather than an impatient one.
This is extremely important because they can drive animals toward extinction which could end up terribly for
One of the big environmental issues here in Connecticut over the past few years is the high dying rate of bees. It has been reported by some of our local beekeepers that they are losing about 30% of all honeybee colonies each winter. This has adversely affected Connecticut’s almond, apple, strawberries and alfalfa productions, and costing millions annually. Scientists have identified several possible causative factors which include global warming, habitat loss, parasites and insecticides. Ethical extensionism, the argument that environmental ethics that moral standing should to be extended to things that traditionally are not thought to have moral standing, would argue that it is morally wrong to use insecticides that are killing local bee
In 1962, Rachel Carson published Silent Springs, where she noted that pesticides have a connection to human health issues, and found that farm laborers had higher rates of health risk. Due to her strong activism, she had the power to put some restrictions on the amount of DDT being used. Carson cautioned all of society to reconsider the conditions of farm laborers, most of which are undocumented today. In fact, over 75% of California farmworkers are undocumented; 83% in Santa Cruz county (Speaker Dr. Ann Lopez.) After being exposed to pesticide poisoning, they face headaches, nausea, and seizures. Much of these cases head on to cancer, infertility problems, neurological disorders, and respiratory conditions.
The harsh reality surrounds the fact that as time and technology advances, the separation between people and nature increases as well. Louv, in his rhetoric from Last Child in the Woods (2008), argues why the separation between society and nature is distressing.
The world is in trouble and you need to prepare for survival, but what are you up against? The most common answers to this question are things like zombies, the end of the world, or normal human beings who have gone psychotic due to scientific mayhem. What if, though, it was instead something as simple as the extinction of bees? You would think that wouldn't do much harm, because, in reality, who needs honey? "Cure" (sequel to "Stung") by Bethany Wiggins displays the effects on our society when something that seems minor becomes a big problem.
During the Cold War era from 1945-1980, the environment took priority in American society. Awareness about the need to preserve the planet culminated in a nationwide Earth Day which proved the growing worry about the lack of sustainability found on Earth. Other environmental factors required immediate action to be taken before the detrimental effects of humans and their role in society would be too much for this world to handle. Although there are a variety of factors that raised awareness about the dangerous environment on earth, it was ultimately the implementation of the first Earth Day, tempting climate in the Sun Belt, and the environmental movement by Rachel Carson that brought the awareness to harsh environmental factors in the late
Our environment had been endangered of becoming unsafe, threatening, and even deadly. “The water we drink, the food we eat, the very air that we breathe, are threatened with pollution. Our parks are overcrowded, our seashores overburdened. Green fields and dense forests are disappearing.” Johnson stresses that the health of people and environment is at risk because Americans have allowed for the destruction of nature to get out of hand, and causing both the Earth and human health at risk of becoming an ugly America, due to –as Johnson references- the “Ugly American” (“Great Society”).
It is here contradictions emerged how best to prevent future environmental harms. Progressive-era conservationists concerned with protecting the nation’s public lands, in contrast, New Deal reformers advocated agricultural reform but focused on privately owned lands (Dunaway, 2005; Jacoby, 2001). They looked to past civilizations to better understand how to avoid ecological ruin such as flood control, soil erosion, and farming techniques. Even today, politicians and many in society are
When bees are in contact with the toxic pesticides, they may also be intoxicated and not be able to find their way home. Who would have known that pesticides, created for better crops, would cause more harm than good? It is like a nefarious virus humans created that in fact is themselves and everything around them. So, what can we do to help out?
This shows that while we are connected to our environment in one regard or another, we are never fully present and ready to
Satisfactory outcomes can result from intrepid choices. In Wings for Maggie Ray, Maggie took risks that only few people were able to because they required a lot of courage. She pursued a career in aviation even though it was a career mainly for men and didn’t let her age retain her from flying. Her actions brought her recognition across the WASP. Ray participated in a race from London to Sydney when she was 79 years old, which shows that even when she was an elder she did the thing she loved the most, flying.
Pesticides likewise are utilized to execute life forms that can result in infections. Most pesticides contain chemicals that can be destructive to
Imagine having so much pesticides in use that people and animals were actually dying from it. In the 1950’s the overuse of pesticides was a serious problem. Rachel Carson was an activist who was against the use and overuse for these pesticides. She wanted to address this problem to the government and the public and warn about the harmful effects pesticides have on the environment and the people. In “A Fable For Tomorrow”, Rachel Carson utilizes ethos, logos and pathos in order to bring awareness to the overuse of pesticides.
Review of Literature Environmental issues began to be discussed and debated only towards the end of the 20th century. Since then significant amount of literature has been penned down raising awareness about issues of pollution, deforestation, animal rights and several others however it has failed to result in major changes, ideas or even actions to save the environment. Several species of animals have become extinct; pollution level is at an all-time high, global warming is leading to severe climate changes all across the globe but these problems do not seem to alarm the decision makers. Leydier & Martin (2013) also states that, “despite the increasing expression of concern in political and media debates about issues such as climate change, pollution and threats to biodiversity, “political ecology” (operating at the confluence of scientific developments, political engagement and ethical debates) is still trying to find its bearings” (p.7). It is quite evident that environmental issues are not treated in equivalence to political, economic, social or even religious issues.