Search






Jeff's Amazon.com Wish List

Archive Calendar

November 2024
M T W T F S S
 123
45678910
11121314151617
18192021222324
252627282930  

Archives

“New Study: Rachel Carson Was Wrong”

Wow. I didn’t think we needed studies to prove that Carson’s environmental advocacy was responsible for millions of deaths, all so she and her acolytes could preen about their concern for the planet (well, except for the human component of the planet, I mean).  CEI:

This year marks the 50th anniversary of Rachel Carson’s Silent Spring, the book credited with launching the modern environmentalist movement. Carson famously warned man-made chemicals, particularly pesticides, were a significant threat to human health.

In a new study published today, Angela Logomasini, senior fellow at the Competitive Enterprise Institute, argues history has proven Rachel Carson wrong. Agrochemicals have not caused the “sinister” ills Carson predicted. In fact, it is her anti-chemical legacy that now poses a global risk both to food supply and the environment.

Logomasini reports:

The incidence of pesticide-related health problems is low. When the Centers for Disease Control investigated the health effects of widespread spraying to control mosquitoes carrying the West Nile virus during 1999-2002, they found only two cases of definite health impacts and 25 probable cases.

Agrochemicals help defend against the spread of disease. DDT, which many governments banned after the publication of Silent Spring, had been used to control the spread of malaria, which now kills more than 1 million people annually. In Burkina Faso, applications of pesticides to livestock now help prevent transmission of trypanosomiasis—a potentially fatal disease spread by tsetse flies.

Agrochemicals enable farmers to grow more crops per acre for longer periods, increasing global food supply. Russian farmers have increased marketable yields on apple orchards by as much as 90 percent after beginning pesticide applications. In Zimbabwe, farmers were able to grow tomatoes during rainy seasons by using fungicides.

The use of pesticides actually has had environmental benefits. Because pesticides allow farmers to grow more per acre, less land is needed by the agricultural industry to supply the global market. The rate of deforestation is now declining, and reforestation has begun in several countries.

Despite the benefits of agrochemicals and the dearth of evidence to support their health claims, environmental activists continue Rachel Carson’s legacy of anti-chemical misinformation. “As a result,” Logomasini writes, “regulatory trends around the world have supplanted wise management with heavy regulations and product bans.”

The world population continues to grow. For a variety of reasons, including bad weather and changing trade policies, the rate of food production has declined. Now is the time to employ all the tools of modern farming to ensure a growing food supply. Unfortunately, Logomasini says, policy trends are moving the opposite way:

“The cost and risks associated with bureaucratic regulations alone dampens the market for innovative new products, diminishes the supply of pest control options for farmers, and reduces their efficiency. The result is lower food production, higher food prices and fewer environmental benefits.”

Who knew that progress an innovation are net goods, while progressivism and moral preening based on a romantic religion of earth worship backed by governmental fiat would prove to be disastrous.  After all, forward, amiright?

61 Replies to ““New Study: Rachel Carson Was Wrong””

  1. Dalekhunter says:

    Brought to you by: Amaco, Texaco, Coca-Cola, Charles G. Koch, David H. Koch, Pfizer, Philip Morris, Ford Motor Company

    Objective! Scientific!

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Competitive_Enterprise_Institute

  2. LBascom says:

    For a variety of reasons, including bad weather and changing trade policies, the rate of food production has declined

    Bad weather? Dang, farmers have never had to deal with that before!

    I wonder if ethanol production was included under “trade policies”?

  3. newrouter says:

    ot

    The Conservative Search Engine searches a large number of conservative blogs and conservative websites. As part of the Western Center for Journalism’s mission to equip conservative citizen journalists, we have created this search page to be a research tool for conservative bloggers and other citizen journalists who need the news without all the left-wing propaganda attached.

    If you would like to submit a conservative site to added to our directory, Submit Here. We will review it and integrate it shortly.

    Happy Searching!

    link

  4. happyfeet says:

    it was opposed to be a “silent spring” cause of all the birdies were dying

    she just sort of made shit up

  5. Squid says:

    Everybody is paid by somebody, Dalek. You never seem to raise an objection when your well-paid shills on the left make some claim about the imminent demise of life on Earth (women and minorities hardest hit!), so why bring up the subject of funding sources at this point?

    Would you care to take on the merits of the argument? I realize that it’s easier to pretend that the Kochs want people to die than it is to rebut the evidence that it’s the Gaea-worshippers who are killing off their fellow humans, but for our sake, won’t you make the effort?

  6. I like to imagine your headline as said by Marisa Tomei as Miss Mona Lisa Vito in the witness stand answering Joe Pesci as Vincent Laguardia’s question from My Cousin Vinny, “Is the defense correct?”

  7. JD says:

    Dale is a kunter

  8. Ah yes, the appeal to the anti-authority. When you can’t actually refute the argument attack the messenger.

  9. Jeff G. says:

    Brought to you by: Amaco, Texaco, Coca-Cola, Charles G. Koch, David H. Koch, Pfizer, Philip Morris, Ford Motor Company

    Objective! Scientific!

    Yeah. What do any of those companies know about science or innovation or creating stuff. They’re all about profit. Which they make by selling things developed by, uh, Elizabeth Warren, maybe? I forget.

    The only legitimate scientific studies are not funded. Or are funded by Liberals through NGOs. Because those of objectively moral and have no political investment at all in the outcome.

  10. Dalekhunter says:

    Just bringing up the fact that it took about 5 seconds of research to discover that the CEI is just the marketing and Public Relations branch for a collective of corporate interests and right wing causes.

    Any “scientific” research that is so blatantly partisan should be strongly criticized, not only for the argument being made but by the very real chance that there is extreme bias in the production and dissemination of the information collected.

  11. newrouter says:

    Any “scientific” research that is so blatantly partisan should be strongly criticized, not only for the argument being made but by the very real chance that there is extreme bias in the production and dissemination of the information collected.

    contact michael mann he might give a sh^t about your thoughts

  12. JD says:

    Dale Khunter hates science. And joooooooooooooooos

  13. McGehee says:

    And of course only think tanks funded by BAD corporations are untrustworthy. Think tanks funded by George Soros or by corporations that benefit by contributing to the Obama campaign truly are objective and scientific.

    Seriously, DK, exterminate yourself for the good of the universe.

  14. Dalekhunter says:

    McGehee you took the discourse and dredged it in cheeto dust. And your dead mother is a whore.

  15. happyfeet says:

    how is that a nice thing to say at all

  16. JD says:

    you took the discourse and dredged it in cheeto dust. And your dead mother is a whore.

    Dale Khunter is a typical leftist.

  17. mojo says:

    A bridge seems to be missing it’s troll.

  18. sdferr says:

    Huh, hadn’t it been concluded that science should be derived from ages old Japanese environmental studies and applied to oyster situations elsewheres?

  19. Squid says:

    See, “exterminate yourself for the good of the universe” is an appeal to the original point of the post, which is that the Gaea-worshippers believe humans to be a plague.

    “Your dead mother is a whore” is just an admission that one has no actual counterargument to offer.

    You really gotta raise your game, Dale.

  20. Blake says:

    Dalek, why should you be treated with respect? It was pointed out you’re attacking the messenger, not the message, yet, you persist in your attacks.

    Personally, I think McGehee pulled his punch.

  21. happyfeet says:

    it’s not really amazing what soup can do and also pesticides didn’t really kill all the birdies and also candy crowley

    there’s just a shitload of misinformation out there

  22. palaeomerus says:

    “Brought to you by: Amaco, Texaco, Coca-Cola, Charles G. Koch, David H. Koch, Pfizer, Philip Morris, Ford Motor Company
    Objective! Scientific!”

    As opposed to Soros, Tides Foundation, and the usual gaggle of UN NGO flacks.

  23. happyfeet says:

    the Pew whores are the worst

  24. palaeomerus says:

    “Dalekhunter says November 30, 2012 at 3:27 pm
    McGehee you took the discourse and dredged it in cheeto dust. And your dead mother is a whore.”

    I did a shit on your mum, and she rather liked it.

  25. rjacobse says:

    Dale K: Pretend for just a moment that this paper was funded by the sale of sustainable cars powerd by unicorn farts, and try to critique it on its merits. Show us how the data used, the reasoning, and/or the conclusions reached are wrong.

  26. palaeomerus says:

    I did a shit on an eagle,
    I did a shit on an eagle,
    I did a shit on an eagle,
    Yes it was a at a falconry display!

    http://i149.photobucket.com/albums/s64/ginja_mick/TonyHarrisonsmall.png

  27. Ernst Schreiber says:

    In related news: Margaret Mead didn’t know a damn thing about Samoan Yutes.

  28. JD says:

    Dale Khunter hates ….
    1) Science
    2) Joooooooooos
    3) Honesty
    4) Civility
    5) Puppies
    6) People who do not share its twisted archaic worldview

  29. Jeff G. says:

    “Corporate interests” and “right wing causes” being dog whistles for “evil,” is that the crux of it? I mean, how could any corporate interest or right winger do anything scientific? Why, by their very existence, they demand “scare quotes” around “scientific.”

    Like when “Pfizer” funds advances in “life-saving drugs,” or “right wingers” like that godbotherer Einstein promote their “theories” of “quantum mechanics”.

  30. palaeomerus says:

    Science isn’t important. Credentials are important. And credentials come from the left or they don’t count. QED.

    Nature must be seen to obey the interests of the people as represented by the party or nature must be discredited and replaced with a more compliant and useful substitute (Bill Nye). Lysenkoism 2.0 or aka Science!(TM)

  31. JHoward says:

    I just love how you so deftly conflated this

    Just bringing up the fact that it took about 5 seconds of research to discover that the CEI is just the marketing and Public Relations branch for a collective of corporate interests and right wing causes.

    With this, Dalekhunter:

    Any “scientific” research that is so blatantly partisan should be strongly criticized, not only for the argument being made but by the very real chance that there is extreme bias in the production and dissemination of the information collected.

    And this being the Internet, at the speed of light. And they said the left wasn’t reasonable. Or reason-able.

  32. JHoward says:

    “Corporate interests” and “right wing causes” being dog whistles for “evil,” is that the crux of it? I mean, how could any corporate interest or right winger do anything scientific?

    Well they have sussed out “attack weapons” pretty damn well you have to admit.

  33. palaeomerus says:

    NGO funded ‘Hockey Stick’ with lost original data and e-mails discussing how to blow off FOIA requests and stack peer review at certain journals is obviously unbiased.

  34. cranky-d says:

    Presumably their data is public, unlike many proggie scientists. Perhaps one should attack the scientific record rather than the messenger.

    Of course, that assumes that the detractor is a reasonable person.

  35. newrouter says:

    ANOTHER YEAR-END CHARITABLE DONATION CANDIDATE: Aside from the folks I mentioned last night, you may want to donate to the Competitive Enterprise Institute, to help defend the libel suit against CEI and Rand Simberg by Michael “Hockey Stick” Mann.

    link

  36. Pablo says:

    Brought to you by: Amaco, Texaco, Coca-Cola, Charles G. Koch, David H. Koch, Pfizer, Philip Morris, Ford Motor Company

    Objective! Scientific!

    All of whom have done far more to advance human knowledge and industry than Rachel Carson has.

  37. SDN says:

    Don’t argue with people like Dalekhumper, just make sure that when the Gods of the Copybook headings come back he is among the slaughtered.

  38. geoffb says:

    Stalin and Mao made Hitler look like a piker. Rachel makes them all look like pikers and she did it so the deaths continued even after she was gone.

    Hell, the death machinery was incorporated into international law. Now that is quite an accomplishment. Even Mao should be jealous of that one.

  39. SteveG says:

    We we forced to read that book in school and give a favorable report on it.

    On the subject of,
    Brought to you by: Who the hell funded Sandra Fluke visiting my town so she could be worshipped by an entire dozen fawning sycophants? Ah. The baby killer industry… nevermind

  40. OMG! Those are the same corporations that fund…

    Penn State!

  41. leigh says:

    Thank godness this study wasn’t funded by the Ford Foundation or we’d have to take it seriously.

  42. serr8d says:

    Rachel Carson is one of the LeftLibProgg demigods, right up there with Ted Kennedy’s fat head. Jeff, maybe they are partying in Hell… )

  43. William says:

    Sure, the more Ivory your tower, the better your soul.

    Is there something in the air tonight? We rarely get double booked with stupid.

  44. leigh says:

    It was a full moon the other night. Maybe that’s it.

    Or they couldn’t find their fake IDs.

  45. John Bradley says:

    A musical interlude in honor of our current Idiot Twins.

  46. SteveG says:

    Michael Crichton figured this one out decades ago… thank for the malaria and starvation Rachel.

    I’m trying to figure out why the non scientists at Pfizer are trying to resurrect DDT… even more puzzling would be wtf is Coca-Cola up to? The Koch Brothers? Clearly planning on doing some crop dusting with 40 year old DDT all over the globe.

  47. JHoward says:

    the more Ivory your tower, the better your soul.

    That’s gorgeous. Such a quotable quote that I need to try it out.

    The more Ivory your tower, the better your soul.

    Works beautifully. Nice work, William.

  48. serr8d says:

    Any “scientific” research that is so blatantly partisan should be strongly criticized, not only for the argument being made but by the very real chance that there is extreme bias in the production and dissemination of the information collected.

    Hey asshole, at the back of Dr. Logomasini’s paper are 101 citations. Be a dear and pick any one of those, refute it for us?

    Nah, I suppose not. Because you are simply an arrogant, ignorant LeftLibProgg with your prerequisite misanthropy fully loaded. Freakin’ idiot, is all.

  49. McGehee says:

    So, did DK take my advice, or what?

  50. serr8d says:

    He disappeared, McGehee, burned his bridge. Back down the rathole, into the sewers from whence he ascended. We’ll likely never see him again, until he creates a new, just-as-smelly sock.

  51. McGehee says:

    I must use this power only for … my own amusement.

  52. JD says:

    Somebody jammed a Massengill in Dale Khunter. Effin twatwaffle.

    He actually whined that science was being disseminated.

  53. JD says:

    Rachel Corrie. Rachel Carson. Patterns emerge.

  54. happyfeet says:

    maddow too except for she’s not dead but for sure she bitterly hates freedom

  55. JD says:

    Rachel MadCow too. H/t hf

  56. SmokeVanThorn says:

    Wasn’t Al Gore quite wealthy until he impoverished himself with An Inconvenient Truth, etc.?

    And wasn’t Michael Mann a very famous academician until he developed the “hockey stick” model?

    You just have to admire all those AGW advocates who have given up so much to save the planet.

    Almost as much as you have to admire a tough guy like dale.

  57. Danger says:

    “So, did DK take my advice, or what?”

    He tried to hang but he must have realized he was in over his head. And I’m pretty sure this shot:

    “Like when “Pfizer” funds advances in “life-saving drugs,” or “right wingers” like that godbotherer Einstein promote their “theories” of “quantum mechanics”.”

    was a fatal blow.

    Well placed JG!

  58. LBascom says:

    OT sorta, but if you’re bored, I find this stuff fascinating. Hang on, let me get my tin foil hat…

    K, here ya go.

  59. Gulermo says:

    “maddow too except for she’s not dead but for sure she bitterly hates freedom” Yours not her’s.

  60. serr8d says:

    OK, LBascom, that site. Elements there match up quite nicely with the musics here.

  61. Slartibartfast says:

    Hm. When corporations expound on science, that’s bad and money-grubbing. But when politicians who are heavily invested in “green” power are pimping CAGW and how urgent it is to…yes, you guessed it: adopt green power generation technologies, that’s just The Right Thing To Do.

Comments are closed.