Rachel Carson's The Obligation To Endure?

Over time, people have advanced technology to produce inventions meant to increase efficiency in work, and this is shown in the movement for environmental change. Since the rise of industrial factories, the use of chemicals for agriculture, and more recently, the growth of nuclear power, pollution has become a major environmental concern. Although these developments signify progress and productivity, they can be damaging, as they disrupt natural processes. In “The Obligation to Endure,” Rachel Carson makes this point, and argues that the use of pesticides to simplify and enhance agricultural processes has harmed the environment. Is technology and invention to blame for society’s environmental problems, or do these problems stem from something much broader? Because of self-interest, people continue to develop technology to make the environment cater to their needs, and thus become ignorant to the long-term effects and consequences of their inventions.
Carson emphasizes how man is the only

What holds them back from solving these problems is what they do not know, the big picture. Carson says, “This is an era of specialists, each of whom sees his own problem and is unaware of the larger frame into which it fits.” Before people find ways to stop pollution or make the environment safer, and before they argue against technology, they must ask themselves, “why are there problems in the environment?” They may find they themselves are the bigger problem. Greed and self-interest can motivate progress and technology, to a point where people become ignorant and indifferent to how these can affect their world. Ending greed would be unrealistic, but people’s mindfulness of their own actions and the facts surrounding the big picture would help in fixing the problem. This is what Carson cites as “The Obligation to Endure,” they all have the right to know and be