The Obligation to Endure Gives Us the Right to Know - Essay Example

“The Obligation to Endure Gives Us the Right to Know”. (Carsons, 27) Those were some truly remarkable words to end the article and leave some food for thought for the readers. “The Obligation to Endure” raises some very relevant yet majorly ignored aspects of our society. In Africa (where they lived) DDT was frequently used to counter Malaria and the same chemical is an integral component of many of the pesticides used on agricultural fields, which later forms a part of our food chain either through the vegetables we eat or through the red or white meat we consume. The concentration of DDT by the time it reaches the bloodstream of human beings reaches very high levels compared to its concentration in plants or animals. Consequently, the adverse effects of DDT in human beings can cause diseases such as cancer.

As is the case of genetically modified food, people do not raise the issue of the usage of concentrated levels of pesticides because they themselves are not aware of the potential dangers associated with the use and exposure to such chemicals. In a documentary aired on BBC, which I saw a few years back a farmer was being interviewed and asked as to why he wore no protective mask while spraying the fields with pesticide and his reply was that he felt no need to do so. Just as Carson pointed out, this shows us how little awareness exists amongst the primary stakeholders who are most vulnerable to the detrimental effects of these chemicals. Moreover, when asked as to why he used pesticides he clarified that they were cheap and thus killed the pests. My friend who is studying Agricultural Engineering in India also hardly knows the potential threats which pesticides can cause to the environment.

The justification provided by Carson for the excessive need to use pesticides as being nothing but a farce is something I only partially agree with because the scenario of surplus food production is prevalent in the United States of America. However the same is not true for many other countries of the world, for example in India, my friend has told me poverty has led to almost a quarter of the country’s population being famished. This shows us that it is indeed important to be able to grow as many crops as possible. However, the international aid agencies should subsidize the use of more environmentally friendly methods to maximize crop production.

Carson’s article is an attempt aimed at opening the eyes of the world towards a prevalent issue that is not only harming us as of now but is deteriorating our world at an alarming pace. If this continues to be the case then life on earth would soon cease to exist and the reason would be man’s desire to supersede nature.

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