Today

"Silent Spring 's continuing relevance...Despite the power of Carson's argument, despite actions like the banning of DDT in the United States, the environmental crisis has grown worse, not better. Perhaps the rate at which the disaster is increasing has been slowed, but that itself is a disturbing thought."
- Honorable Al Gore, Introduction to 25th anniversary edition of Silent Spring

Carson's legacy has inspired new advocates in the fight against emerging environmental threats. Despite the reduction in insecticide usage, there has been a net increase in chemical treatments designed for agriculture. The focus of environmentalism has taken a new direction with global warming.

New Leaders

"Rachel Carson has inspired new leaders and a stronger movement"
-Rachel Carson's Legacy, Dr. Robert Musil

Senator Tom Udall

"Senator Tom Udall (D-NM), the son of Stewart Udall, recalls meeting Carson in his youth and is now an environmental leader in the Senate."
-Rachel Carson's Legacy, Bob Musil

The Sierra Club

"The Sierra Club, that has a Rachel Carson Society and received royalties from Silent Spring,today fights coal, fracking and air pollution -- all of which Carson would have opposed."
-Rachel Carson's Legacy, Bob Musil

Vice President Al Gore

"Her picture hangs on my office wall among those of the political leaders...Carson has had as much or more effect on me than any of them, and perhaps than all of them together."
-Al Gore, Page 68, Courage Earth

New Issues

Pesticides

Source: United States Department Of Agriculture

"the number and extent of resistant weeds have increased dramatically over the past decade...The result has been an increase in overall herbicide use--recently estimated at about 383 million pounds higher"
- Increasing Herbicide Use, Union of Concerned Scientists

Source: The First Thirteen Years, Charles Benbrook

"glyphosate is used in more than 750 different herbicide products ...there is convincing evidence that glyphosate can also cause other forms of cancer in rats and mice...has been found in the blood and urine of agricultural workers, showing the chemical has been absorbed by the body."
-World's Most Popular Weed-Killer Labeled 'Probable Carcinogen', Chicago Tribune, March 23, 2015

Source: Chicago Tribune, March 23, 2015

Global Climate Change

"In 2013, President Obama announced a series of executive actions to reduce carbon pollution, prepare the U.S. for the impacts of climate change, and lead international efforts to address global climate change."

"Global temperatures and carbon dioxide levels are on the rise...Carbon pollution is the biggest driver of climate change."

Pictures and Quotes Source: Climate Change and President Obama's Climate Action Plan

Ocean Health

Source: Gulf Oil Spill, Smithsonian Institute

"At present, there are no real answers at to the long-term effects of the oil-dispersant mixture on wildlife...Dispersants and oil make a deadly combination. For the sake of both the creatures and the people of the Gulf we must discover exactly what they were exposed to and how it will effect their health. The Gulf's disaster is not over."
-The Cure for the Gulf Oil Spill Is as Bad as the Sickness, Susan Shaw

Chemical Regulation Debate