Influence of Earth Day and Rachel Carlson's "Silent Spring" on

Environmental Policy

In 1970, Earth day raises the voice for the emerging consciousness about the environmental issues

through the anti-war sentiments and protests by putting the earth environment issues on the front

page. The founder of earth day, Gaylord Nelson thought for a national day to concentrate on the

environment, in the wake of seeing the effects of the 1969 huge oil spilling in the Santa Barbara,

California. During the anti-war, he understood that if he could infuse the environment issue like

water pollution or air pollution with the ongoing student's anti-war movement, it will boost the

awareness about air and water contamination, then it would compel environmental protection onto

the national level political agenda.

As a result, 20 million (approximately) Americans took to the streets to show their concern for the

environmental issues and demands for a solid, manageable and sustainable environment in

monstrous nationwide gatherings and rallies. A large number of schools and colleges composed

protests for awareness and against the disintegration of the earth. Gatherings that had been battling

against oil spills, pollution producing factories and power plants, harmful and toxic dumps,

pesticides, the extinction and loss of rare wild species, all of a sudden acknowledged that they

shared the same ideas and values.

Earth Day 1970 accomplished a unanimous political agreement, huge support from Republicans

and Democrats, farmers, industrial pioneers, rich and poor. Before that year's over, the main Earth

Day had prompted the creation of the United States Environmental Protection Agency and passage
of some most important environmental acts like “Endangered Species Act”, “Clean Water”, and

“Clean Air” Acts.

Earth day is now the largest supported observance all over the world. Currently it is observed and

celebrated by approximately one billion people every year on April 22 as a day of action that

encourages and demands humans to take care of their environment and to change their policies for

betterment of earth climate. Today, the effects of climate changes are showing their wrath more

speedily and hence the concerns of humans about these changes is increasing day by day with

increasing urgency more than ever before, and it all was stared with the Earth day observed on the

22th April in 1970.

Impact on environmental policies;

National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 became a landmark environmental law that had its

impact not only in America but abroad also and due to this reason it was known as “Environmental

Magna Carta”. It required the every federal decision for its impact on the environment. Like the

building of roads and dams and other national level industrial decisions.

Rachel Carson wrote a book “Silent Spring” in 1962 on environmental issues and it was about

environmental science and it documented the hazardous effects of usage of pesticides especially

on the birds. An environmental movement was triggered against the toxic effects and developed

awareness about how human beings and other creatures have suffered by these toxic pesticides.

She stated that the main reason behind these massive environmental issues and pest resistance and

other human health issues are the chemical industry which spreads the disinformation about their

products just for their profits and she also accused the public officials for allowing these products

to be available in the market by accepting the claims of chemical industries blindly.

Dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (DDT) is an insecticide which in odorless and it was used for the

mass production of farming products and fighting the insects like mosquitos during the post war

era. Nobel Prize was awarded to the inventor but eventually scientists and researchers realized that

it was causing the serious environmental issues and health issues. She included these research

about negative effects of DDT in her book like “the thinning of bird’s eggs”. And as a result this

book was met with great opposition and fierce reaction by the chemical industry but it led to a

reverse response from the American public. Success of Silent Spring led to the change in American

pesticide policy and DDT was banned nationwide for the agricultural uses. Earth day and Silent

Spring were the two main factors which led to the creation of USA Environmental Protection

Society.

Under the banner of Environmental Protection Agency, Pesticide Control Act was passed on

national level in 1972, which regulates the pesticide control and demanded the true information in

the pesticide advertisements. EPA was given authority to regulate and restrict the toxic pesticides.

Also “Clean water Act” was passed in 1972, with the main goal of cleaning rivers to make them

fishable and swimmable again. To restrict the endangered species like whales and dolphins, Marine

Mammal Protection Act was passed in 1972 and it banned the hunting of these species. More

endangered Species acts were passed to save the species on the edge of extinction which includes

many plants and animals. In 1974 ,Safe Drinking water Act was introduced to make sure the quality

of drinking water by providing and imposing the quality standards.

In 1976, Toxic Substance control Act was introduced to regulate the introduction of new

chemicals/pesticides in the market. Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act was passed

in 1980 to ensure the protection of large areas of wilderness by making more national parks and
reserves. In 1987, many nation across the world agreed on Montreal protocol for the safety of

ozone layer by banning the chemicals which destroys this layer.1988 Medical Waste tracking Act

encouraged the correct and safe disposal of medical waste. Major development about the

environmental issues on international level was the Rio Earth summit. Including other things

Countries Committed to increase the use of renewable energy sources. There is a long list of global

accords and legislation to ensure the protection of environment from the hazard effects of human

made products or actions. Many countries adopted Kyoto Protocol in 1997 to address the concerns

about the global warming. The latest international level accord for environment and climate

protection is Paris accord, which is signed by 195 countries in 2016 and it deals with the adaptation,

finance and greenhouse-gas-emissions mitigation.

All these efforts and solid action in the shape of laws and policies either on national level or on

international level were due to the awareness created by the Earth day movement and Silent Spring.

Earth day is observed annually and it gained a lot of attention and importance in the near past due

to the fact that people are witnessing the climate change. World is facing food shortages due to

temperature increases, floods and irregular weather patterns. This day acknowledges the

importance of our planet and it helped to spread the information about the environment issues such

as depleting resources and global warming and their solutions. In fact today every person is at least

aware of the ways to keep the environment clean.

Many strategies are introduced like recycling of waste and conservation of energy, decreasing the

global warming by increasing the plantation, saving water resources and rescuing the amount of

toxics in the air and saving the endangered species. Earth day taught us to treat the Earth like our

mother as it gives life to its inhabitants. There are simple ideas introduce on every Earth day

celebrations each year like saving energy sources by switching lights during day timings, switch
off lights when not in use and replacing the usage of plastic bags with the recyclable bags. Even

industries are ensuring the proper implementation of environmental safety measures like the usage

of renewable sources for power production and encouraging their employees to save the planet

form degradation. Technology industries are working to introduce the environment friendly

products like electric cars that do not use the petrol/diesel and don’t causes the air pollution.

If we promise to implement these rules and make change in their behavior toward Mother Earth

then we can make this planet much better place for ourselves to live and also for the generations

to come.

References:

 https://www.earthday.org/

 https://www.nationalgeographic.com/news/2016/04/160422-earth-day-46-facts-

environment/

 https://permaculturenews.org/2016/06/20/silent-spring-environmental-movement/

 https://www.pbslearningmedia.org/resource/arct.socst.ush.earth14earthdays/the-first-

earth-day

 https://www.pbslearningmedia.org/resource/aml15.sci.env.earthday/the-environmental-

movement-and-the-first-earth-day

 https://www.pbslearningmedia.org/resource/arct.socst.ush.earth15carson/rachel-carson-

silent-spring

 https://www.pbslearningmedia.org/resource/envh10.sci.life.eco.silentspring/rachel-

carsons-silent-spring
 https://www.pbslearningmedia.org/resource/amex29rc-sci-silentspringlessons/lessons-

from-silent-spring-for-controlling-disease-rachel-carson-american-experience

 https://www.pbslearningmedia.org/resource/amex29rc-soc-pesticide/american-

experience-rachel-carson-pesticide-early-warnings