The opening chapter of Silent Spring, published 60 years ago, paints a devastating picture of “a town in the heart of America where all life seemed to live in harmony with its surroundings”. Its abundant flora and fauna attracted visitors from far and wide. Birds sang, bees buzzed, wildflowers bloomed, farms flourished, and trout proliferated in the clear, cool streams. “Then a strange blight crept over the area and everything began to change. Some evil spell had settled on the community.” New maladies appeared, “even among children, who would be stricken while at play and die within a few hours”. The birds disappeared — “It was a spring without voices” — and farm animals withered like the flowers and trees and crops, just as the streams were bereft of visible life. (Read More)
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