John Muir And Rachel Carson: Environmental Analysis

Splash! The crystal clear waterfall pools into a reflective lake, which is surrounded by vibrant, green foliage and tall, strong trees. Animals of many varieties rustle through the undergrowth, while birds and monkeys move swiftly atop the trees. The picturesque landscape is exactly as Mother Nature intended for it to be, everything in perfect balance. Turning to look behind you, you see the golden grain gently waving in the breeze for as far as the eye can see. The robin-egg blue sky and fluffy white clouds bring out the diverse yellows and golds of the wheat, as bees and other insects peacefully pollinate, everyone taking only what they need. And then, you hear the grinding of a chainsaw behind you, and you turn to watch the ecosystem

While Muir was fighting the logging of Sequoia trees and the establishment of structures in wilderness areas, Carson was battling the spray of DDT and other pesticides with detrimental environmental effects. Carson and Muir enlisted the help of the public and private organizations through books that combined a poetic style with a scholarly topic. These books, along with magazine articles that were published by Carson and Muir, enchanted the public and helped win their wars with logging, construction, and pesticides. Although the works of these two scientists were often rejected by the scientific community and the organizations that they targeted, the scientific facts were always proven accurate and the scientists won many battles. Both Muir and Carson, although neither was seeking fame or fortune, left lasting effects on the Earth and all of its inhabitants to this

Muir, with only a few exceptions, prevailed in his lifelong fight to prevent the great outdoors prom development and deforestation. He successfully convinced the government to create a system of national parks. Muir also founded and was the first president of the Sierra Club, one of the most active clubs of protecting the environment. This club, after Muir’s death, influenced the creation of the federal National Parks Service. The National Parks Service preserves many forests, keeping the United States, and the Earth, green and lush for many generations. This Club is still in action today. Carson successfully prevailed in her fight against DDT, and eventually it was banned in the United States. The rest of the world followed suit and banned DDT in their own time. DDT was proven, because of Carson’s work, to be extremely harmful to the environment, meaning that Carson prevented an environmental disaster of which scale cannot be measured. Her books and articles awakened the public to the potential negative effects of pesticides. The first Earth Day was six years following Carson’s death. Rachel Carson and John Muir were regarded as two of the first environmentalists of their time, and continue to be some of the most well known