Silent Spring at 50: a comparison perspective

2012 marks the 50th anniversary of the publication of Rachel
Carson’s book “Silent Spring”. This publication is often regarded
as the beginning of the modern environmental movement, in
particular in the US. Silent Spring documents the effects of
pesticides on the environment, and in particularly on birds. In
addition, Carson accused the chemical industry of spreading
disinformation, and government officials of accepting industry
claims uncritically. Silent Spring had a profound impact on the
development of environmental consciousness and led to the
regulation of the use of pesticide in North America and Europe.


In order to celebrate the 50th anniversary of Silent Spring this
episode of the podcast explores the significance of this book
with Mark Wilson, a PhD candidate at the University of
Northumbria in Newcastle, England. Mark has written a study which
compares the response to Silent Spring in the US and Britain. He
also agues that Silent Spring is a typical product of its time
that was closely connected with the Cold War and the rise of the
counter culture at both sides of the Atlantic.