It was “Silent” in
1960 (I was five years old) when her startingly beautifully written and unbelievably
prescient book was published.
She, equally
presciently, died from cancer in 1964.
Here’s, also, to
Library of America, which has chosen season (actually Spring 2018) to publish,
“Silent Spring and
Other Writings on the Environment” by Rachel Carson.
Here’s also to the
London Review of Books for publishing in its June 6 edition a review by Meehan
Crist.
Here are three
samples from Crist’s review:
1/ Human activity has led to the stripmallification of
nature: complex forest ecosystems are cleared to make way for fields of a
single crop; grasslands and wetlands are paved over for the expansion of roads
and cities; non-native species – carried from here to there by humans – eat the
local food and kill the local young and homogenise formerly diverse landscapes
as effectively as any bulldozer; whole animal populations already poisoned by
pesticides and pollution are hunted or fished to a ghostly semblance of their
former density, and their absence in turn damages the ecosystems in which they
once thrived.
2/ Sperm counts in men around the world have dropped by 50 per cent in the
last four decades – men today are half as fertile as their grandfathers were.
If this downward trend continues, as it seems to be doing, humanity may be
incapable of unassisted reproduction within decades.
3/ A capitalist system built on the plunder of the natural world must
inevitably be threatened by a grassroots movement to stop that plunder.
Yes, folks. Time
to shout out loud.
Next: Running for Your Life: Routine 66
