The main point of this essay was the author believes sprays for pesticides will prove very costly and end up killing humans just as much as the insects they were created for. She states that pesticides are used far too often and should only be used when it comes to food supply and human disease. I agree that these sprays are overused however I think she exaggerates the problem a bit too much. Her claiming that the extinction of man is these sprays have the potential to end mankind just like a nuclear war could. To me, the chances of these two things occurring is hardly worth discussion. But comparing bug sprays to nuclear bombs, give me a break. There is nothing wrong with loving the environment or being what many people call a “tree hugger” but comparing insect sprays to nuclear bombs is quite a stretch in my opinion. I do believe protecting the environment is a necessity, but extinction of the human race will not be the result of the increasing use of insect sprays. Although the author does address the positives of these sprays, I think she does so with a pretty weak effort. She pretty much bashes farmers that grow the same crops each year and use pesticides and thinks these farmers should alter their planting rotation. Farmers are some of the hardest working and most important people in this country so I do not appreciate this bashing. I believe farmers have every right to use pesticides when they feel they are necessary. In conclusion, I agreed with the aspect of overuse of pesticides, but I think the author stretches the degree of the problem a great deal. I believe the environment has bigger problems such as the polluted air, global warming, and the massive loss of rain forests that are far more important than pesticides and bug sprays.
Bug Sprays = Extinction of the World? Monday, Apr 21 2008
4:03 am
April 21, 2008 at 12:59 pm
I agree with you one hundred percent when you said that the author exaggerates the usage and effects of pesticides but what do you expect from an environmentalist? I think that farmers, gardeners and even civilians have developed a sort of reliance on pesticides but only to make their jobs or household tasks easier. Due to the ignorance of the effects of these possibly harmful chemicals, our environment is going to have to suffer some, but who knows exactly how much? I don’t think this question could be answered by a marine biologist.