9781422274057

On June 30, 1948, Congress passed the first law that addressed water quality. This piece of legislation was called the Federal Water Pollution Control Act (FWPCA). This act has since been amended multiple times in order for feder- al government to maintain authority on water quality. In 1950, the Nature Conservancy was founded. The Nature Conservancy is “a nonprofit organization with the mission

RACHEL CARSON

Rachel Carson and her work are often cited as one of the foundations of the modern environmental movement. Carson was a marine biologist for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. She mostly worked as a writer and editor for the organization. In 1962, Carson wrote Silent Spring . She was led to write the book due to the growing evidence before her that both the government and various forms of industry were misusing pesticides in a way that would have severe negative impacts on both people and the environment. The book detailed “the dangers to all natural systems from the misuse of chemical pesticides such as DDT, and questioned the scope and direction of modern science.” 5 After World War II, DDT had become a popular pesticide. It was viewed as an efficient way to kill flies, mosquitoes, and other insects. However, millions of

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Contemporary Issues: The Environment