A marine biologist and nature writer, Rachel Carson catalysed the global environmental movement with her 1962 book Silent Spring. Outlining the dangers of chemical pesticides, the book led to a nationwide ban on DDT and other pesticides and sparked the movement that ultimately led to the creation of the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
Rachel Carson (1907-1964) was a marine biologist and writer who was interested in nature from her very early life. Thanks to her love of nature, she did lots of research on conservationism and she even wrote a book called Silent Spring (1962) where she talked about the pesticides the human race had created and their dangerous use to the environment and species.
Carson spent four years gathering research and writing the book. The name Silent Spring refers to birds dying due to pesticides and the spring being silent without their song. The book was published in 1962. The book became very popular and brought the environmental issues of pesticides to the general public.
This book was sold worldwide and it was a best seller for several months. However, it was also very criticised by all the industries that were producing these pesticides, saying that without them, they would still be living in the past.
We at Barabar believe that there will always be resistance when people decide to share a different point of view. And changes happen extremely hard precisely because of the belief that our actions were effective in getting us here. But isn’t it “here” that we want to change?
Leaving aside the negative comments, the US President at that moment, John F. Kennedy asked his scientific advisers to do research on this topic, who got to the conclusion that Rachel Carson was right. Kennedy banned 8 of the 12 pesticides that she had mentioned in her book. Additionally, thanks to her research, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) was created to control and limit the use of the remaining pesticides.
Apart from Silent Spring, she wrote various books on the sea like Under the Sea Wind (1941) or The Sea Around Us (1951), where she talked about her geologic discoveries such as how islands are formed and how temperature affects sea life. She also made reference to climate change and the sustainability of nature’s interactive and interdependent systems.
She exemplifies the kind of spirit of inquiry that can improve the world for the better. Her courage to present the truth inspires us to do the same. Play her card in Barabar and change the history of the world – first in the game and then in real life.
Watch this short video about her:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GCYEElzrK64
Bibliography:
https://www.womenshistory.org/education-resources/biographies/rachel-carson
https://mujeresconciencia.com/2015/06/22/el-caso-de-rachel-carson/