The
technological advances of
the
twen
tie
th cen
tury drive
the
two mos
t cri
tical challenges of
the
twen
ty-firs
t cen
tury. Clima
te change resul
ts direc
tly from fossil fuel combus
tion
tha
t domina
tes
the energy produc
tion sys
tem globally since
the 1900's. Syn
the
tic chemicals wi
th carcinogenic, mu
tagenic and endocrine disrup
ting proper
ties con
tamina
te
the biosphere. Ten
thousand years of physical and biological s
tabili
ty of
the plane
t shows signs of des
tabilizing. Ye
t,
the credibili
ty of scien
tis
ts has come under a
ttack, and science has become poli
ticized and isola
ted from
the mains
tream of public influence.
Rachel Carson, one of the most influential thought leaders of the twentieth century, offers a role model for addressing this critical problem. Through her gifted writing she shifted public opinion to understand the interconnectedness of all living systems. She spoke out as a scientist and an advocate in defense of protecting the natural world. Her recommendations based on sound science helped to shape the initial environmental protections that evolved through the nineteen seventies. She is a role model for the application of science in public policy. The acute environmental crises we face cross political and geographic divisions, and involve placing constraints on unfettered multi-national corporate interests whose only guide is success in the marketplace.
Rachel Carson's work synthesized the principles that support precaution in man-made intrusions into the living world. Her graphic illustrations of the interconnectedness of all living systems showed that we cannot harm the environment without in turn harming ourselves. Natural laws of biology, physics and chemistry affect all countries, regardless of political persuasion, religion, social structure or priorities. Rachel Carson's environmental ethic provides a guide for decision-making that draws from our common humanity, and our common place in the global ecosystem as animals. Rachel Carson's environmental ethic has four parts: Live in harmony with nature; Preserve and learn from the natural places of the world; Minimize the impact of man-made chemicals on natural systems; and Consider the implications of all human actions on the global web of life. Governing our multiple forms of civilization according to the common laws of nature that drive life on earth can help to cross the barriers that divide us. Rachel Carson's environmental ethic can enlighten the debate over intergenerational and inter-cultural justice because the choices we face are a matter of ethics, not technology.