Environmental regulations were something that people of the United States felt that they could live without. In fact, the mere idea of implementing laws that would change the ways humans interact with the environment was outrageous in a time when feeding the people was the most important challenge for society, lands were being cleared for lumber, agriculture, and roadways. It wasn’t that long ago that you could change your automobile’s oil over a storm drain, spray harmful pesticides such as DDT, and build elementary schools above old landfills. Some of the most atrocious, corrupt and damaging practices were performed before the onset of the environmental justice movement and it is due to specific interest groups, grassroots movements, key political figures, and hardcore advocates that we have safe regulations in place today.
One the most famous proponents of environmental change was Rachel Carson; a woman no less, in a time when the Civil Rights Movement was barely gaining momentum. Coupled with her love for the environment and the safety of Earth’s inhabitants, Rachel’s particular interest in the widespread spraying of the dangerous pesticide, known as DDT, was what prompted her to publish her book titled Silent Spring in 1962. Her famous depiction of the death and destruction of a small suburban town depicts her ideas of what the future would look like with the continued neglect to the environment and its inhabitants. Painting the picture of how “Fish died in streams, farm animals sickened and died, families were plagued with illnesses and occasional deaths” and “birds had disappeared” were famous renditions of how the poisonous pesticide would quickly destroy every village across the country and it didn’t take long for important figures to take notice.
Despite the constant criticism from revered groups such as the American Medical Association, a shortened version of Rachel Carson’s scientific findings made their way to President John F. Kennedy’s Science Advisory Committee and in 1963 they made recommendations supporting the theories. Despite widespread public debate and contradictory claims, in 1969 “Congress passed a bill known as the Environmental Policy Act” , paving the way for the future of environmental responsibility by the government, states, and the public. The Environmental Protection Agency was born and so were regulations to deal with “air, water, solid waste, the use of pesticides, and radiation standards” .
Shortly after, grassroots efforts from concerned environmentalists started to snowball into massive green movements such as Green Peace and the Green Chemistry Movement. Laws concerning the treatment of the environment and hazardous materials begin to emerge one after the other. Beginning with the “National Environmental Policy Act of 1969”, the Environmental Protection Agency passed the “Clean Air Act of 1970, the Clean Water Act of 1972, the Marine Mammals Protection Act of 1972, the Endangered Species Act of 1973, and the Safe Drinking Water Act of 1974”; a movement that would otherwise be impossible without the help of special interest groups, grassroots movements, concerned individuals, and important scientists such as Rachel Carson.
The natural environment severely impacts every aspect of daily life, therefore it is one the largest issues that any sociologist should have on their radar. Since the recognition of environmental issues has gained ground as a social, political, and economic priority, the health of society has benefited immensely and it is through this paradigm shift that we continue to strive for stricter environmental regulations that benefit the health of the world as a whole.
Works Cited
Richard T. Wright, Dorothy F. Boorse. Environmental Science Toward a Sustainable Future. 12th. Upper Saddle River: Pearson, 2014.
