The World We Live - Essay Example

14th April Assignment The world we live in is a beautiful place full of creatures great and small; human beings, animals and plants co exist with each other in harmony, but even sometimes in a hostile manner. All these aspects of daily life are somehow connected with each other; humans depend on both animals and plants for their food and survival; animals depend on both plants and animals for their survival. Therefore, one can safely assume that the world is a place that consists of a cooperative community where each being depends on the other for its survival. Living beings grow and develop in this very surrounding and learn from one another with respect to their habits. To a great extent, with time, animals and humans have learnt to make their peace with the plant kingdom, as well as have understood that importance of preserving the same due to the growing levels of environmental pollution on the planet. Carson’s book Silent Spring is a reminder of this very co existence between plants, animals and humans and how human beings must make it their mission to maintain the level of peace and calm within society for generations to come by preserving the environment and spreading awareness regarding the same. Time has come to ask ourselves, how is it that we can make this world a better place? We must take a look at the environment around us and begin from there. Plants and trees form a very important aspect of life; they provide us with oxygen as well as food. At the same time however, we `tend to over utilize the quality of the little plant life that is available in order to make maximum use in terms of cooking, eating as well as all other forms of consumption. This is done by adding chemicals like pesticides and fertilizers to plants in order to ensure that they are kept away from being eaten by pests or flourish and grow faster. However, this attitude towards a speedier production level has led to a great amount of turmoil as explained further, and needs to be kept in check. The American environmental movement began strongly after Carson advocated the same through her book regarding the excessive use of pesticides and fertilizers on plants world over. Although these products are used for the purpose of cleaning crops and making sure those plants are free from pests and insects, Carson’s letters (which are also a part of the book) talk about how these products have been causing ill effects to the environment at large. Pesticides like DDT have resulted in killing birds and animals that come near these plants, thus harming the environment. Moreover, excessive use of these products has also led to the failure in growth of a large number of crops. (Radford, Tim) As these pesticides become mixed with the plants, consumption of the crops by human beings has also led them to fall prey to diseases and sicknesses causing long term damage. All of this has adversely affected the entire food chain or web. It must be understood that growing these crops is a large part of farmer’s production in the country and cannot be stopped as it will affect the entire economic cycle; on the other hand however, the environment is getting harmed with the rampant use of fertilizers and pesticides. Something must be done to prevent these plants from dying or from birds and animals, as well as humans, from consuming them and falling sick. (Berenbaum, May) Carson writes, "In Florida, two children found an empty bag and used it to repair a swing. Shortly thereafter both of them died and three of their playmates became ill. The bag had once contained an insecticide called parathion, one of the organic phosphates; tests established death by parathion poisoning." (Carson, Rachel) These lines are enough to tell the reader about the emotion that has been placed in making others realize how important it is to do something that might change the state of the environment around us. To make the world a better place, probably, steps need to be taken to ensure that awareness is spread regarding how much the ecosystem is being affected by the use of such fertilizers and pesticides. The book also talks a great deal about the capitalism that has been circling around the markets in the United States of America and makes an appeal to the government to take steps to cut down on private profit making in order to make way for protection and preservation of the environment. This can be done by urging the state to monitor the kind of pesticides and fertilizers that are used in the crops and plants that are then sent off for consumption, and also by educating farmers about the ill use of the same. (McLaughlin, Dorothy) Moreover, steps need to be taken in order to ensure that the plants that are being sprayed with chemicals are well protected and out of the reach of grazing animals or birds so that they do not consume them and fall sick or die. The state presently of the environment is one of pure horror; it is disappointing to see that human beings have such high needs that are slowly surpassing the need for protection of the environment. It is very important for people to understand that the environment comes first; tomorrow when there are no crops or when many animals and birds die because of the ill use of these chemicals, it might become very difficult to come back to a situation where the food chain or web can be maintained. Carson has made use of a large amount of information and references to help people understand the present state of facts of the environment and how it is being poisoned by human actions. The book is a cry for help on part of the preservation of the environment and demands some quick solutions to be taken in order to protect the same in order to prevent deaths of humans, animals as well as plants. “In some of the chapters, Miss Carson does approve of alternatives to the widespread use of poisonous chemicals. She points to the successful controlling of scale insects with ladybird beetles, and Japanese beetles with the “milky disease.” So often, harmful species, new to a given area, have ceased to be much of a problem as soon as their natural enemies or their equivalents appear or are introduced. The natural struggle for survival can then keep the numbers of the pests at a fairly low level. This approach, as Miss Carson emphasizes, rarely creates new pests, whereas extermination campaigns often do so.” (Milne, Lorus & Margerie) A large amount of federal funds are placed into the purchase and use of these chemicals on crops each year by the agricultural department of the country, and the book urges the government to take a look at their social responsibility and stop trying to ‘make money or profits’. Moreover, there is no guarantee that citizens of the country will be safe from consuming poisonous crops because once they are placed in the market, it is difficult to ascertain where which crop comes from. Steps thus need to be taken in order to ensure that the amount of chemicals sprayed on the crops remains at a bare minimum. As students, it must become a part of our lives to educate others around us; shopkeepers, grocery store owners, as well as stalls selling vegetables in the markets must all be told about the ill effects of these chemicals, so they can go and in turn let farmers and producers know the safety issues related to the same. Being complacent is rather dangerous for human beings, especially at this stage where such a grave threat is being posed against the environment and it is obvious that people are affected by the same. The time has come for people to understand that measures to cut down on ruining and poisoning the environment must be taken in order to at the very least ensure their own safety. Animals and birds – creatures that have little or no rights – must be taken utmost care of, lest the entire food chain goes haywire. The government must be extremely careful in watching how chemicals are used; log books must be maintained while making it compulsory to sell only a specific amount of fertilizers to the right producers at proper rates and amounts to ensure that they are not being made ill use of. Parke C. Brinkley, chief executive officer of the National Agricultural Chemicals Association, said: “Any harm that is caused by the use of pesticides is greatly overcompensated by the good they do.” This kind of an outlook must be kept in check by spreading awareness and letting people understand that while the use of chemicals is in fact important to keep plants healthy and away from pests, at the same time, it invites more trouble by ruining the quality of the plant and damaging the environment around it. After all, prevention is better than cure, and without such understanding, the world will not be a better place. Works Cited Carson, Rachel. Silent Spring. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1962. Print. Radford, Tim. “Silent Spring By Rachel Carson – Review.” Guardian UK. 2006: 1. Print. Milne, Lorus & Margerie. “There’s Poison All Around Us Now” NY Times. 2009: 2. Print. McLaughlin, Dorothy. "Silent Spring Revisited." The FrontLine 2010: 2. Print. Berenbaum, May. "If Malaria's the Problem, DDT's Not the Only Answer." Washington Post 5 June 2005: 1-2. Print. Read More