Zoe Brown Mrs. Helms English III Honors 7 November 2014 Establishment of the Environmental Protection Agency Environmental disasters during the 1960s in the United States had significant impacts on both the human and sea life populations. During the New York weather inversion of 1965, over 80 people died from the man-made smog over the four day period. In the Santa Barbara oil spill of 1969, over 3,700 sea birds were killed, along with countless other forms of marine life. The nuclear reactor meltdown in Idaho in 1961 was the only United States incident by that time that resulted in immediate fatalities, in which three operators were killed (“Learn the Issues”). Cleveland, Ohio’s Cuyahoga River sustained 13 reported fires, resulting in …show more content…
On April 22nd, 1970, the American public gathered in the streets to celebrate clean air, water, and land. Congressmen in Washington D.C. halted their activities to be their constituents; however, the Nixon administration was laboring at what would become the capstone of environmental policy, the EPA. While Earth Day was the launch of environmentalism in the modern sense, individuals had been combating natural resource degradation for centuries. In 1849, Henry David Thoreau published a compilation of lectures, Walden, that would become the standard by which all subsequent nature writings are judged. John Muir, father of the American preservationist movement, cofounded the Sierra Club, which preserved California wild lands. Both Theodore Roosevelt and Franklin Delano Roosevelt worked during their tenure as presidents to save the National Park System (“Environmentalism”). After World War II, the United States’ birthrate skyrocketed, and people found themselves living on the edge of parks and nature. The public began to question whether the government was working to preserve untouched land for future generations. When Rachel Carson published Silent Spring in 1962, the era of environmentalism was born. This movement “demanded the state not only preserve the Earth, but act to regulate and punish those who polluted it” (Farrah). The work on the pesticide poisoning of man sparked a powerful public
Rachel Carson’s Silent Spring and the Beginning of the Environmental Movement in the United States
Rachel Carson is considered one of America's finest science and nature writers. She is best known for her 1962 book, Silent Spring, which is often credited with beginning the environmental movement in the United States. The book focussed on the uncontrolled and often indiscriminate use of pesticides, especially dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (commonly known as DDT), and the irreparable environmental damage caused by these chemicals. The public outcry Carson generated by the book motivated the U.S. Senate to form a committee to
But what was more extraordinary was what he did, not who he was. Muir established the first national parks, protected and created new ones, raised awareness about nature and the importance of conservation, and created one of the world’s leading conservationist’s organization (“Sierra Club” 2017). He did all of this through his writings, leadership, and diplomacy. In addition to what he did during his life, Muir also left a legacy that continues to inspire and educate thousands about nature. The revolutionary books Muir wrote over a hundred years ago are still in print today. Hundreds of places are named after Muir, such as the John Muir lodge in King’s Canyon national park, or Muir peak in L.A. (Wood 2017). The Sierra Club still prospers to this day, working hard to preserve our national parks and the environment for future generations. America celebrates the man who took a stand for the environment every April 21, John Muir day, for everything he has done for the country. A writer, a leader, and a diplomat, Muir took a stand for our environment. America will forever be grateful to John Muir, the Father of our National
In 1962, Rachel Carson published Silent Spring and was greeted with a roar of protest and approval. After years and years of controversy and skepticism surrounding its argument, Silent Spring was and still is recognized as a perceptive warning of things in progress and things to come. The book set the stage for the first real and effectual environmental movement.
President Richard Nixon officially created the Environmental Protection Agency, otherwise noted as the EPA, in the spring of 1970. However, concern for the environment and its protection began long before the government regulatory body. In years prior, environmentalism had planted its roots as a growing focus of many American citizens. Before the focus on the environment as we know it, there were multiple individuals who stressed the importance of nature and brought attention to the degradation of the environment through industrialization. Famous literary scholars first expressed their concern during the 1850’s—a direct response to the Industrial Revolution. Henry David Thoreau, with his ode to nature through Walden, or Life in the Woods, captured the importance of nature in a transcendental sense; while later in the nineteenth century, John Burroughs took a more realistic approach with his 27 volumes of essays on his experience with nature. In 1935, President Franklin Roosevelt’s New Deal brought the sense of ecology into government acts; among which were The Soil Conservation Service—reducing the effects of erosion on agricultural land, and the Pittman-Robertson Act, responsible for funding state fishing and wildlife programs from taxes on hunting and fishing equipment.1
In an era where innovations have advanced and have become a greater part in our society, many Americans were negligent to the consequences of them. These innovations were presented to improve the lives of Americans as a whole. A prime example of these enriching innovations is pesticides, more specifically DDT. Although pesticides help crop output, there were numerous dangers that came with the utilization of them and many people were unaware them. Rachel Carson, a marine biologist, wrote Silent Spring to critique the use of pesticides.
Rachel Carson’s book, Silent Spring, brought worldwide attention to the chemical industry’s impacts on nature and ecosystems. By all accounts, it launched the modern environmental movement — along with a half-century of controversy, and counting.” Another one of Rachel Carsons legacy is it says on https://www.acs.org/content/acs/en/education/whatischemistry/landmarks/rachel-carson-silent-spring.html , “To understand how radically her book changed the modern mindset, we have to go back to the time between World War II and the late 1950s when Carson first decided to write Silent Spring. New technologies flourished during the war as biologists, chemists, physicists, and others were enlisted to aid the military. After the war, science and industry translated these developments and others into commercial products aimed at improving the quality of life for civilians.” The last legacy Rachel Carson has made is it says on https://www.acs.org/content/acs/en/education/whatischemistry/landmarks/rachel-carson-silent-spring.html ,“Carson, who was employed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) from 1936 until 1952 as a field scientist and writer, was acutely aware of the policies and practices of the day. In her view, government leaders and industry were eager to create sweeping change, but advanced new technologies without knowing the full implications of their decisions. Carson was moved by the relationship between humans and the natural world and worried about the effects of scientific interventions on the
In the book Silent Spring, Rachel Carson’s main concern is the widespread use of synthetic pesticides and their impact on the environment. Carson concentrates on a commonly used pesticide in the 1950s called DDT. She opposes the indiscriminate spraying of DDT because it has profound consequences on the environment, humans and animals. Carson collected information about how the DDT can cause cancer in humans, harm animals such as birds and remained in the environment for long periods of time. Subsequently, the chemicals in the pesticides are extremely harmful so she tries to raise awareness and convince others that there are better alternatives.
Albert Einstein once said, "Our task must be to free ourselves by widening our circle of compassion to embrace all living creatures and the whole of nature and its beauty." Similar to Einstein, the author Rachel Carson believed that human kind should embrace nature's and help preserve its beauty and life . In the passage from the book Silent Spring by Rachel Carson, the author informs and persuades her audience against the dangers and misuse of pesticides. Rachel Carson is a renowned writer, ecologist, and scientist who dedicated her life to the conservation of the environment. Throughout her career as an editor in chief, marine biologist, and environmental activist, Carson continued to educate the public about the
Silent Spring(essay) Rachel Carson’s Silent Spring changed the people’s views regarding the use of toxic materials that continues to destroy our environment. She is clearly optimistic to encourage every citizens to participate on using more efficient, yet simple strategies to regenerate our natural resources and ecosystems. Although the book calls for a better use of chemicals, some people disapprove and attacked it as misrepresenting science. It was written in 1958, Carson says that her own bitter experience brought her attention to write a book concerning the problems our nature is facing. It took her four years to make the book, and though she is a great writer, some magazine publishers turned her down.
Our nation’s governmental officials hold an extreme great of power, especially the Supreme Court and EPA Administrators. The Supreme Court in particular has the final say in environmental regulations as it is up to them to interpret statutes. In the past century, the courts and EPA administrators have imposed hurdles for environmental regulators and citizens wanting to protect the earth. In particular, they have failed society with rulings under the Takings and Commerce Clauses of the Constitution that would repeal most federal environmental statues and they also challenged EPA’s decision to regulate emissions.
On December 2nd of 1970, President Richard Nixon established an organization to solve the growing problem surrounding the state of the environment. The Environmental Protection Agency, commonly known as the EPA, was created with the mission to establish and enforce environmental protection standards, conduct environmental research, provide assistance in eliminating pollution, and recommend new policies for environmental protection to the president. One of the influences that contributed to the development of the EPA was an article in Science magazine. Through his article The Tragedy of the Commons, Garrett Hardin conveyed the amount of damage that humans had caused to the environment. He made it clear that humans will exploit Earth’s natural
The United States Environmental Protection Act (hereinafter referred to as EPA) defines environmental justice as ‘’the fair treatment and meaningful involvement of all people, regardless of race, colour, national origin or income with respect to the development, implementation and enforcement of environmental laws, regulations, and policies’’ (Bullard 2005, 4). Throughout the world, poor people and people of colour, who have the least political power and who are the most marginalized, are selectively victimized by environmental crises (Bullard 2005, 6). Numerous environmental groups have been formed over time e.g. the Green Belt Movement to combat this injustice. On the other hand, environmentalism is more concerned with protecting the
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is a federal government agency of the United States. The EPA was created with the purpose to ensure health and environmental protection is provided to people. The agency accomplishes their function by writing and enforcing regulations based on laws passed by Congress. The agencies objective consists of the following tasks: environmental education; pollution prevention; regulatory development; research, science, and technology; and risk assessment and risk reduction.
As the Environmental Protection Agencies (EPAs) regulations though the Clean Air Act (CAA) for monitoring and policing air emissions through best, newest and current technologies, for the betterment of public health and welfare there are many options to be compliant per industry and region. With options, come the pros and cons for each regarding the polluter (industry) and the monitor (EPA). Additionally the EPA through the CAA identifies in Title II, Parts A-C, the regulatory requirements for stationary and mobile sources of air pollution in sections; motor vehicle emissions and fuel standards, aircraft emission standards, and lastly, clean fuel vehicles. Lastly, this paper will discuss through identifying the major and minor