In 1950s, during the "Cold War" when East and West confronted each other after World War II, American enterprises cut down a large number of forests for economic development, which destroyed nature and caused serious "three wastes" pollution. Especially, in order to increase grain output and timber export, the US Department of Agriculture allowed the chemical industry with deep pockets to develop highly toxic pesticides such as DDT, and recklessly implemented a large-scale aerial spraying plan. It leads to a large number of deaths of birds, fish and beneficial insects, while pests are increasingly rampant because of the production of antibodies.
Chemical toxicity enters the human body through the food chain, causing diseases such as cancer and fetal malformation. When nature, biology and even human beings are harmed, scientists' sense of responsibility and conscience make rachel carson unable to remain silent.
Terminally ill, relying on radiotherapy to maintain her life, almost paralyzed and blind, rachel carson alone faced the strong pressure from business authorities and government bureaucratic scientific research institutions, and challenged industrial groups that only cared about commercial interests but ignored human safety and the chemical substance DDT that won the Nobel Prize: she specialized in "death-specific drugs" (highly toxic pesticides) that were as harmful as radiation, and began what she called a "crusade" against evil forces.
Rachel carson wrote Silent Spring after four years of tenacious and assiduous investigation and study, which was published in 1962.
The book was named Silent Spring, thanks to its editor, Paul Brooks. While reading the manuscript, he thought of this title when he read the heartbreaking silence of birds.
What the expanding material Silent Spring wants to express:
In Silent Spring, Carson called on the public to stop private and public plans to use toxic chemicals, which will eventually destroy life on earth.
She asked people to know the truth and take action according to the present situation, because paying attention to the environment is not only a matter for the industry and the government, but also a matter for the people. Those toxic substances spread by spray, dust and food are far more dangerous than radioactive debris from nuclear war.
Carson pointed out in the book that spraying plans that cost millions of taxes are doomed to fail from the beginning, and it is ineffective to use them or any new products that try to deal with the rapid emergence of drug resistance, which is confirmed by more and more pests and diseases.
She described in detail the plan to kill gypsy moth and killed fish, crabs and birds at the same time. She also described in detail the plan to kill fire ants, killing cows and pheasants, not fire ants. Due to the destruction of natural control (ecology), many other plans have led to more pests.
Carson advocates replacing widely used chemicals with other methods. She pointed out some successful cases, such as using ladybugs to control scale insects. She believes that once natural enemies or rivals are introduced, harmful species appearing in a certain place will not cause much trouble. Fighting for survival in nature can keep the number of pests at a low level.