Matt Tomkins

Silent Spring is one of the most influential environmental books ever written. The book was published in 1954, at a time when certain types of synthetic pesticides, most infamously DDT and Dieldrin, were in widespread use.

The content of the book is primarily a compilation of evidence detailing the true extent of the unintended harm that these pesticides were causing. Many of these chemicals, which once were considered relatively harmless, are now banned or heavily restricted. Silent Spring derives its title from the fact that these pesticides poisoned and killed birds in rural communities where spraying was prevalent, in some places leading to an eerie lack of birdsong in the springtime.

Silent Spring, in addition to sounding the alarm irresponsible pesticide use, succeeded in bringing to the public consciousness an increased awareness of the devastating impact that human activity can have on the natural world. The book is credited with playing a major role in the genesis of the modern environmental movement.

Impact on people

Although Silent Spring is best known as the book that revealed the devastating environmental impacts of pesticide use, many of the cases in the book focus on their toxicity to human beings. Some cases deal with severe short-term effects, including incidents of death or permanent disability resulting from accidental exposure to high doses. The more sinister cases however relate to long-term exposure and delayed effects, with symptoms sometimes manifesting years after contact with the chemical.     

In one example case, a New Zealand man undergoing treatment for obesity began to show symptoms of poisoning. When examined, it was found that the pesticide Dieldrin had accumulated in the fatty tissue of his body, and as he lost weight, the accumulated pesticide seeped into his bloodstream and began to poison him. This effect is called bioaccumulation, and several of the specific groups of pesticide chemicals that Silent Spring focuses on had this property.

Today, a quick search for many of the pesticides mentioned in the book will show a litany of horrifying symptoms they have been linked to. DDT disrupts the endocrine and reproductive systems and is classified as a probable carcinogen (cancer-causing agent). Chlordane has been linked to cancer, type 2 diabetes, neurological damage, and numerous other effects. Parathion, a particularly nasty substance, is neurotoxic, and has been used as a chemical warfare agent. And Dieldrin has been linked to Parkinson’s disease, cancer and damage to the immune, reproductive and nervous systems. The list goes on, but these examples should be sufficient to illustrate our current state of knowledge about the highly toxic nature of these substances.

Impact on nature

These pesticides were also extremely damaging to the natural environment. This is due in part to another unanticipated property: these chemicals tended to persist in the environment for a long time before breaking down, resulting in the long-term pollution of land and water.  

Some chemicals, most infamously DDT, would not only accumulate in the tissues of living organisms, but would exponentially increase in concentration with each step up the food chain, an effect known as biomagnification. Higher-order predators, including birds and humans, could consequently end up with a concentration of toxic substance in their bodies vastly greater than observed in the organisms usually targeted for spraying. As a result, a bird or fish or human being could end up with a harmful or potentially fatal dose from what was considered to be safe spraying.

This is illustrated in an example described in the book, in which the spraying of DDT was conducted in an attempt to control the elm leaf beetle, a vector of Dutch elm disease. Researchers linked this control program to the death and decline of the local robin population, which happened as follows:

1. DDT spray sticks to elm tree leaves. Months later, the leaves fall to the ground and decompose, but the chemical remains.
2. Decomposed leaves are consumed by earthworms. DDT accumulates in the worm’s body.
3. Robins eat worms and are poisoned. Sterility, death and population decline result.

The web of life

The example above illustrates one of the most important themes of Silent Spring. 

Every organism, including human beings, is part of an ecosystem – an interconnected, interdependent web of life. A disruption in one part of an ecosystem can ripple through the web of life, leading to consequences that are difficult to predict.

The pesticides were usually sprayed with the intention to kill a specific pest organism, such as a mosquito, a beetle, or a fruit fly. The ecological consequences however, were often far broader, and resulted in the poisoning of local populations of wildlife, livestock, and ultimately human beings.

Harvesting from, or destroying a particular species, or place, or part of the web of life is not an act done in isolation. Whether we are eradicating insects, cutting down trees, harvesting fish, or burning coal, the effects of these actions, at a scale magnified by modern technology, the imperative of perpetual growth, and our exploding population, can ripple through the web of life and lead to catastrophic consequences such as the collapse of an ecosystem that we depend on for our own survival.

And the reality is that people are inescapably a part of the web of life. The food we eat, the air we breathe, the water we drink, and the climate and environment we live in are all dependent on the health of the natural world.

Understanding this idea is vital to fully comprehending the implications of the environmental problems we face today, especially climate change. Rachel Carson captured this with a simple and blunt statement:  “If humankind poisons nature, nature will in turn poison humankind”.

The industry

The response from the pest control agencies and the chemical manufacturing industry to the publication of Silent Spring was disgraceful.

Despite the mounting weight of evidence of the harm caused by their products, representatives of the chemical industry attempted to personally attack Carson and discredit her work.

The way the chemical industry responded to Silent Spring strongly parallels the response of the tobacco industry to evidence around the health risks of smoking, and the response of the fossil fuel industry to scientific evidence of anthropogenic climate change. Denial and well-funded attempts to spread misinformation has been a common tactic.

Whether it is harmful pesticides, tobacco, fossil fuels, in each of these cases action of sufficient magnitude to fix the problem has required the sale of a very profitable product to cease or be substantially restricted. This represents a threat to the very survival of the industry, at least in its current form. So from purely a survival perspective, in a way it makes sense that the industry responded the way it did – there exists a strong incentive to prevent or delay action by undermining public understanding and political will for change.

Despite the attempts to stifle change, in each of these cases the truth has come through, and action is being taken. However, this is not without substantial damage that could have been avoided had action not been delayed.

Conclusion

Silent Spring is widely regarded as triumph of scientific writing, and possibly the most influential environmental book ever published. Unfortunately, Rachel Carson never lived to witness the full impact of her book.

By raising the alarm on the irresponsible use of these dangerous pesticides, Silent Spring catalysed an environmental movement which contributed to the creation of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and a ban on the agricultural use of DDT in the United States. This, coupled with the passing of the Endangered Species Act is, amongst other successes, credited as a major factor in the return of the iconic bald eagle from the brink of local extinction in the United States.

The book does remain controversial today, particularly with respect to DDT, due to its usefulness as a weapon in the fight against malaria. I won’t delve into the arguments around that here, but it is worth pointing out that Carson was not advocating for the elimination of all pesticide use, and that her work should not be taken as a kind of hysterical call for full-blown chemophobia. What Carson called for was for pesticides, if used, to be used in a responsible and well-managed way, informed by a full understanding of their impact and toxicity people and the natural environment. Beyond the use of pesticides, Silent Spring has important lessons to teach about how we can examine and tackle today’s environmental problems. Although the book contains a dire warning as to the destruction humanity can (and is) causing to the natural world, understanding Rachel Carson’s enduring legacy and impact does give us reason to hope. The efforts of one person can help to catalyse the change we need to ensure our survival, and the survival of the natural world on which we depend.

Video review:

This is the book to get if you want to understand more about climate change. It covers the following topics:

• How global warming & climate change work
• Scientific evidence for climate change
• Current and expected impacts of climate change
• Solutions available to mitigate and adapt to climate change

The book is written in question & answer format, which makes it easy to read and also useful as a reference book. If you are seeking an answer to a particular question (e.g. “How do scientists know that climate change is caused by human activities?”), you can look it up in the contents, flick to the relevant page and read a succinct answer (usually not more than 1-2 pages). The answers are backed with statistics and citations of scientific studies, but never get overly technical.

Climate Change: What Everyone Needs to Know was written by Dr. Joseph Romm, a climate expert and communicator. He has a reputation as one of America’s most influential writers on climate change and has received numerous accolades for his work, including a fellowship at the American Association for the Advancement of Science.

 

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For me, this book filled a lot of gaps in my understanding of climate science and really hammered home the severity of the consequences of failing to take sufficient action to mitigate climate change. The section of the book explaining the relationship between extreme weather and climate change was particularly confronting and opened my eyes to something that I think many people fail to comprehend.

When we hear of the Paris Agreement target – to ensure global average warming stays well below 2^oc – this doesn’t intuitively sound like something to be too concerned about. Even a 4^oc rise in global temperature, the projected ‘business as usual’ scenario, may not appear catastrophic.

The science tells us however that such a global temperature rise is likely to have a very severe impact on humanity. This is due to the flow-on effects of this global temperature increase. In the short-term we are already seeing disproportionately rapid regional changes in climate and increased frequency of extreme weather events. This is expected to become more severe as the warming continues, leading to very substantial economic damage and loss of life.

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I intend to delver further into specific examples of the impacts of climate change in future blog posts. For now, I’ll simply reiterate that Climate Change: What Everyone Needs to Know is a must-read for building a foundational understanding of climate change. Go get it.

For further information or to purchase the book, click here: https://amzn.to/2MKVxCD

Video review:

Walden, published in 1854 by naturalist, philosopher and writer Henry David Thoreau, is an account of the author’s experiences when, as an experiment, he went to live alone in the woods in a self-built cabin for two years. Walden champions the benefits simple living, celebrates the beauty and joy of spending time immersed in nature, and quietly rebels against the norms of society.

I personally found this book challenging to read. Though simplicity is a central theme, ironically the text is anything but succinct. It moves slowly, with Thoreau observing and describing the environment around him at length and often meandering along abstract lines of philosophical thought. If, however you are able to see past the flowery language, you will discover ideas that are just as relevant to today’s world as they were in 1854, and you may appreciate why this work is considered a classic of American literature.

So how is Walden relevant to environmental conservation?

Thoreau rejects consumerism and materialism, believing these to be obstacles to the pursuit of happiness and human development. He emphasises living simply, calling on us to question whether we really need the comforts and luxuries that society would have us believe are necessities. I found this criticism surprising given that the book was written more than 150 years ago, long before the modern consumer age. Human nature remains the same however, as does the timeless wisdom that happiness is not to be found in the endless pursuit of material things. By taking inspiration from Walden and learning to simplify our lives and consume less, we can reduce our impact on the environment.

Walden also encourages spending time in nature, and the mental or spiritual benefits that one can derive from doing so. Much of the book is devoted to descriptions of the natural environment around Thoreau’s cabin. Thoreau’s love of nature, and the joy and contentment it brings him to live in closeness to it, are readily apparent in his writing.

An unfortunate consequence of our modern lifestyle, especially for the city-dweller, is that we are distanced from nature. It is all too easy to fall into thinking that nature is separate, something “out there” rather than something we are a part of. By spending time in natural environments, connecting with nature and appreciating it, we are more likely to feel compelled to protect it. Not everyone will have the opportunity (or the inclination) to spend two years living in the woods as a hermit. But by reading Walden, one may live Thoreau’s life of solitude vicariously, and gain an appreciation of the benefits and insights that such an experience may bestow.

So, should you read this book? If you are unused to literary classics, it may require some perseverance to get through. But if you take the trouble, you may find inspiration to improve your life by embracing simplicity, reconnecting with nature, or simply to look up and notice the world around you with greater appreciation next time you find yourself outdoors.

 

For more information or to purchase this book, click here > Walden

Limits to Growth is a report originally published in 1972 which presented the results of a computer simulation of population and economy growing exponentially in a world of finite resources. The report caused significant debate and controversy but had a lasting impact.

Limits to Growth: The 30-Year Update is the second update since the original report. It contends that humanity is using critical resources and producing wastes at a rate that is not sustainable and that in the absence of sufficient intervention we potentially face a worldwide economic, societal and environmental collapse.

The authors examine these global issues through the lens of system dynamics, a methodology for analysing the behaviour of complex systems by modelling the interaction of their constituent elements. The findings of the report are derived from a computer model of worldwide population growth, industrial output, resource use, food production, pollution and other key factors.

The essential concepts:

1. Population and economic production / industrial output are currently growing exponentially. This causes exponential growth in resource use and pollution.
2. There exist ecological limits which, if exceeded, lead to long-term degradation of the finite resources and ecosystem services that humanity is dependent upon. (For example: the amount of oil that can be drawn before it becomes prohibitively expensive, the rate of harvest a population of fish will tolerate before collapse, and the amount of CO₂ that can be emitted before causing catastrophic climate change.)
3. Since:
   a) Exponential growth in population & economic production causes us to accelerate toward these limits, and;
   b) There are delays in our ability to gain feedback from and respond to these limits:
   The global economic system is likely to cause a condition of overshoot, in which multiple ecological limits are unintentionally exceeded.
4. Relying solely on new technology and market forces is not sufficient to prevent overshoot. If the primary goal of society is continual growth, technology and markets will be harnessed to serve this goal, amplifying the tendency of the economic system to cause overshoot.
5. Consequently, without intervention we will bring about an escalating series of crises in resource shortfalls and environmental degradation, leading to economic, ecological and societal collapse within the next 100 years.

Overshoot and collapse is the projected consequence of the ‘business-as-usual’ scenario, in which no substantial intervention is made to avoid collapse. In addition to this, the authors present several other scenarios, each modelling specific interventions or combinations of interventions.

The authors conclude that a combination of interventions addressing the structural causes of exponential growth (in population & economic production) will be necessary to prevent overshoot and collapse. Their recommendations for transition to a permanently sustainable society are:

1. Stable global population, in which the average birth rate equals the average death rate.
2. Stable industrial output per person. This does not imply that progress is halted and standard of living cannot continue to improve, only that per capita consumption of resources is limited.
3. Technological solutions that reduce our ecological footprint by decreasing pollution, conserving resources, and protecting and improving agricultural land.

Limits to Growth places exponential growth in population and economic production / consumption squarely at the root cause of environmental problems. This book is vital to understanding the urgency of the environmental and societal issues we face, and the severity of their potential consequences. If the conclusions of the report are accurate, lack of sufficient intervention threatens not only a few species, or particular ecosystems, but the existence and wellbeing of humankind.

In my opinion this is one of the most important books on environmental issues. Highly recommended.

 

For further information or to purchase this book, click here > Limits to Growth: The 30-Year Update

This book is a compilation of short essays focussed around the subject of our moral responsibility to protect the earth. It aims to educate the reader on the ‘ethical values, moral guidance and principled reasons’ as to why we should care for the environment.

The essays are drawn from a diverse selection of authors, including scientists, religious leaders, environmentalists, political leaders, writers, businesspeople and activists. Some of the more well-known authors include Barack Obama, The Dalai Lama, E. O. Wilson and Bill McKibben. The book is divided into sections, each containing a group of essays which offer similar arguments in response to the following question:

Do we have a moral obligation to take action to protect the future of a planet in peril?

As you’d guess, the answer to this question is a resounding ‘Yes’. The reasons presented include:

• Yes: our own survival and self-interest.
• Yes: out of an obligation to future generations.
• Yes: as we have a duty to protect the earth itself.

Some essays resonated with me, some did not. As I read through, I noticed certain themes and ideas recur throughout the book. Notably, many essays were critical of the anthropocentric mindset that tends to dominate our thinking (viewing humanity as separate from the natural world, rather than part of an interconnected whole), and critical of consumer culture and our current notion of what ‘progress’ means (in which happiness is supposedly attained through the acquisition of more material stuff). My favourite essay, ‘A Copernican Revolution in Ethics’ by Kate Rawles, addresses these themes in a particularly lucid manner.

Another notable recurrence was Aldo Leopold’s Land Ethic, which is frequently referenced, as his thoughts on conservation were profoundly influential on environmental ethics and the environmental movement as it exists today. To learn more, see my review of Leopold’s environmental classic, A Sand County Almanac.

With 87 essays, this is a lengthy book. But because each essay is only a few pages long, it is easy to chip away at the book by picking it up and reading an essay or two when you have a little time to spare. Though you are unlikely to like or agree with every essay, reading this book will help you to solidify your own understanding of the ethical reasons for environmental protection, and may in turn help you to argue for why humanity has a moral obligation to care for the earth.

For further information or to purchase this book, click here > Moral Ground

Video review:

 

When I first noticed this book, I dismissed it for its odd title, unsure how it could be relevant to the issues I was interested in.  However, after seeing it pop up repeatedly on lists of important books on environmental issues, I thought I’d give it a try.

It turned out to be a true gem. I now understand why A Sand County Almanac is considered a classic of environmental literature. Despite its 1949 publication date, it remains one of the most influential books on environment and conservation today.

The book was written by Aldo Leopold, an American ecologist, forester and conservationist. Much of the text comprises his descriptions of the land, first around his farm in Wisconsin and then in other parts of America, Canada and Mexico. As he takes the reader through the seasons and across the landscapes, Leopold conveys in an honest and very visceral way the sense of beauty and wonder he feels at his experiences in nature. His writing is delightfully crafted, painting an immersive sensory picture without ever seeming overly sentimental.

Throughout the book, Leopold shares his musings on the relationship between humanity and nature and reflects on the degradation of the land at our hands. He contends that this degradation is brought about by our current set of land-use ethics, in which we view the land as a commodity to be owned and exploited purely for the satisfaction of economic self-interest. We fail to appreciate nature as one great interconnected community which we are a part of and upon which we depend and consequently we have little sense of obligation to protect, nurture or give back to it.

Leopold sets out his ideas on environmental conservation, culminating in his advocacy of a ‘Land Ethic’. In this he proposes a cultural paradigm shift; an enlargement of our current set of ethics, such that we regard ourselves as part of a community that comprises not only other human beings, but also all of nature: ‘the soils, waters, plants, and animals, or collectively: the land.’ He hopes for humanity to develop sense of responsibility and stewardship over the land. The essence of the Land Ethic is captured in the most well-known quote of the book:

‘A thing is right when it tends to preserve the integrity, stability, and beauty of the biotic community. It is wrong when it tends otherwise.’

Although it was written more than 60 years ago, A Sand County Almanac is ever more relevant today. At a time when we see accelerating loss of biodiversity and environmental degradation, it seems clear that if we wish to halt the destruction, the environmental consciousness we are beginning to develop must continue to evolve and become a fundamental part of our ethics and understanding of our place in the world.

For further information or to purchase this book, click here > A Sand County Almanac

My video review:

Climate change is a complex issue. You and many others may feel motivated to do something about it, but it can be difficult to know where to begin, and which of the myriad problems and solutions we should focus on. Should we throw all our efforts behind solar photovoltaic power generation? Or how about about electric cars? Or preventing deforestation? When faced with the series of interconnected issues behind climate change, it can be easy to feel overwhelmed.

Drawdown: The Most Comprehensive Plan Ever Proposed to Reverse Global Warming, edited by Paul Hawken, aims to solve this problem by presenting and ranking the 100 most impactful solutions to climate change.

Each solution is ranked in based on its potential to reduce or remove carbon dioxide (or CO₂-equivalent) emissions from the atmosphere. A summary is provided with each solution, along with other important data, such as cost of implementation.

The book is full of surprising insights, such as the finding that wind turbines (ranked number 2 in potential impact) outrank solar photovoltaic (ranked number 8), or that growing bamboo is an excellent means of carbon sequestration.

I personally thought that one of the most important insights related to the impact of women’s education and access to family planning (solutions ranked 6 & 7 respectively). Not only should these rights be considered a moral imperative, but if viewed as a single combined solution, they are also by far the most impactful solution to climate change, due primarily to their effect on reducing population growth.

The book is presented in a manner which is straightforward and easy to understand, which belies the weight of technical data backing its simple figures and summaries. Drawdown represents the analytical work of a coalition of 70 scientists and researchers, and an even larger expert review team. Each solution was researched, analysed, modelled and reviewed to provide the data presented in the book.

Because of the breadth of information Drawdown covers, with 100 solutions ranging from bike infrastructure to nuclear fusion, detailed technical data is not included in the book itself but can be accessed on the Project Drawdown website: http://www.drawdown.org/

I would recommend this book to anyone who has an interest in learning about, and taking action to prevent climate change, whether in your personal life, through your career, or your business. To echo the words Paul Hawken: use this book to identify how you can make a difference.

For further information or to purchase, click here > Drawdown: The Most Comprehensive Plan Ever Proposed to Reverse Global Warming

My video review: