sociopolitical and ethical legal impacts

sociopolitical and ethical legal impacts

Silent springs was an equally brilliant and controversial book authored by Rachel Carson. The book was excellent because it addressed a significantly sensitive and crucial environmental issue that affected a vast majority. The book, however, drew controversy from the fact that a scientist authored it at the time scientists were not permitted to write books. Miss Rachel Carson set a record as the maiden female biologist to work for the United States Bureau of Fisheries, the then equivalent of U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Carson, chapter by chapter, thoroughly addresses the issue of pesticide contamination, arguing that every individual is exposed to hazardous chemicals. Rachel started researching for the silent springs in the late 1950s, and it took over five years for the book to be published. The essay discusses the sociopolitical and ethical legal impacts of the author’s thesis using current evidence.

The first sociopolitical impact of the author’s thesis is legislation and control of the use of pesticides. Carson states in the book that the unchecked use of pesticides has caused the death of not only animals with birds being the worst hit, but they have also killed people (Carson, 1962). The book’s title was used purposely to insinuate spring season, where birds will not be heard singing as they will be wiped out by the pesticides. Pesticides have adverse environmental impacts that have attracted governments’ to control their use. Several government agencies in the United States have been tasked with managing and legislating on the manufacture and use of pesticides. The Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act task, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), with imposing tolerances that the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) establishes. The FDA determines and controls the quantities of pesticide residues that can remain on all food, including animal feeds, as per the law. The illustration of the negative impacts of pesticide use has sparked legislation that aims to control the use of pesticides and the conservation of the environment. The book’s thesis warns of consequences associated with pesticide use, which have made governments spring into action to manage the impacts. The book’s argument is, therefore, influencing policymaking processes because governments want to avert the crisis that pesticides can cause.

The second sociopolitical impact of the author’s thesis is the increase in environmental conservation efforts. Environmental conservation is a current issue that is attracting a lot of attention globally. There are several environmental impacts of pesticide use that have raised eyebrows hence the efforts to conserve the environment. Pesticides contaminate vegetation, turf, water, and soil, thus causing adverse effects on the lives both of both animals and human beings. Additionally, pesticides kill weeds, and insects they were intended to kill, but they also kill many other non-targeted ones. Pesticides contaminate water bodies through runoff water from farms that are treated with pesticides. The contamination of water bodies is a significant environmental risk because it endangers and threatens to wipe away the majority of the marine life and environment. Pesticides also contaminate groundwater, which poses a human health risk because human beings often consume groundwater. Pesticides pollute the soil, too hence threatening the natural environment as it is a threat to plant life. Carson’s book has inspired environmental activism not only in the U.S. but globally. The book’s thesis has, therefore, led to an increase in environmental conservation efforts. In the U.S., for instance, Non-Governmental Organizations with support of medical doctors have come out strongly to advocate for ecological conservation by raising awareness on the effects of pesticide use.

The first ethical and legal impact of the author’s thesis is the control of pesticide testing. Carson sparked environmental activism after she authored the book because the book highlighted the issues that people had no knowledge about or did not bother at all. One ethical and legal issue that has stood out in the recent past is pesticide testing (Carson, 1962). Pesticide manufacturing companies, in some cases, use human volunteers to test their products. The practice, though, raises ethical and legal questions that have led to the intervention of the Environment Protection Agency. The Environmental Protection Agency is responsible for environmental protection hence is mandated to protect human health too. Due to the high probability of adverse effects of using human beings in the testing process, it is required that a qualified physician should supervise any experiment involving pesticide administration to humans. Another ethical and legal issue influenced by the thesis is the responsibility of the pesticide companies. Pesticide companies are supposed to be held responsible in their production and are also supposed to be held accountable for any research that they undertake. Carson’s illustration informs the ethical and legal measures put in place of the negative impacts of DDT.

The other ethical and legal impact of the thesis is the management of environmental pollution caused by pesticide production. Pesticide production companies cause massive environmental pollution effects, which have called for legal control. Pesticide producing companies emit pollutants like DDT, which have enormous environmental impacts. Pollution control is a legitimate issue that requires legislation and enforcement. Environmental Protection Agency is tasked with responsibilities regarding the management of pollution, which is part of environmental conservation. The thesis outlines the adverse effects that pesticides have on the environment. The environmental pollution enlightenment has, therefore, ignited the control measures that are witnessed today. The author’s thesis has also sparked ecological activism, which has contributed much to the pollution control measures that have been put in place. After the publication of the book, people became enlightened on the issues related to pesticides, especially the adverse effects of pesticides. The enlightenment has generated a lot of efforts that are channeled towards the minimization of these effects leading to calls for environmental conservation measures. Companies producing companies are controlled in their production to lower the environmental pollution. The pesticide contents are also managed in a bid to minimize the toxic residues likely to be deposited in various areas in the environment, such as on plants, water bodies, and air. The author’s thesis has, therefore, created an urge for environmental conservation through pollution management.

Nationally the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act task, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), with imposing tolerances that the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) establishes. The FDA determines and controls the quantities of pesticide residues that can remain on all food, including animal feeds, as per the law. The Environmental Protection Agency is tasked with making laws regarding the environment, which encompasses environmental conservation. The agency is also mandated with the restoration of the country’s environment. The agency is progressing well in the recovery and protection of the United States watersheds, wetlands, estuaries, and water bodies. EPA has several national programs for environmental conservation, such as the National Estuary Program that work hard in ecological restoration. Internationally the United Nations has several arms that deal with environmental affairs. U.N. organizations that deal with the environment include the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP), World Nature Organization (WNO), and International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). These international organizations adopt international measures in conservation environments that member states adopt and use to conserve the environment. The organizations deal with global environmental threats such as global warming and liaise with member states to take the necessary measures to fight the ecological issues. These organizations also are responsible for developing treaties that are ratified by the U.N. member states for collective environmental conservation. Furthermore, the organizations fund international environmental conservation programs around the globe.

In conclusion, this essay has discussed the sociopolitical and ethical and legal impacts of the author’s thesis using current evidence. The first sociopolitical impact of the author’s argument is the legislation and control of the use of pesticides. The book’s title was used purposely to insinuate spring season where birds will not be heard singing as they will be wiped out by the pesticides hence calling for the legislation that controls their use. The second sociopolitical impact of the author’s thesis is the increase in environmental conservation efforts. Pollution is currently the most prominent threat to the environment, and the book has addressed it by sparking activism. The first ethical and legal impact of the author’s thesis is the control of pesticide testing. Pesticide testing is controversial because human beings are being used in the process, thus the need for ethical and legal measures to be put in place. The other moral and legal impact of the thesis is the management of environmental pollution caused by pesticide production. Nationally the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act task, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), with imposing tolerances that the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) establishes. In contrast, internationally, the United Nations has several organizations that deal with environmental issues.