Last week I wrote about my surprise and concern about the haste to take findings about plant communications to develop “hijack” methods to naively coerce them for vaccines or other crop management interventions. One of the reasons I gave for concern was for unintended consequences, specifically citing “Silent Spring“, by Rachel Carson.
This week we have yet another example of unintended consequences from industrial, chemical crop management: reduced male fertility. A study released this week found that exposure to organophosphate (OP) and N-methyl carbamate (NMC) based pesticides, both commonly used in North America, was distinctly associated with decreased male fertility. The study’s authors concluded, “evidence warrants reducing exposure to OP and NMC insecticides now to prevent continued male reproductive harm”.
With the pervasive presence of and dependence on human-made environmental toxins, it seems evident that we face the silencing of the industrial consumer culture. The prospects of such a future have persuaded some to face the future with more humility in their approach to natural systems.