Editing Rachel Carson (section)

{{short description|American marine biologist and conservationist (1907–1964)}}
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{{Infobox writer <!-- for more information see [[:Template:Infobox writer/doc]] -->
| name             = Rachel Carson
| image            = Rachel-Carson.jpg
| caption          = Carson in 1943
| birth_date       = {{birth date|1907|05|27|mf=y}}
| birth_place      = [[Springdale, Pennsylvania]], U.S.
| death_date       = {{death date and age|1964|04|14|1907|05|27|mf=y}}
| death_place      = [[Silver Spring, Maryland]], U.S.<ref name="lkwdpl" />
| occupation       = [[Marine biologist]], author and environmentalist
| alma_mater       = [[Chatham University]] ([[Bachelor of Arts|BA]])<br />[[Johns Hopkins University]] ([[Master of Science|MS]])
| period           = 1937–1964
| genre            = [[Nature writing]]
| subject          = [[Marine biology]], [[ecology]], [[pesticide]]s
| notableworks     = ''[[Under the Sea Wind]]'' (1941)<br />''[[The Sea Around Us]]'' (1951)<br />''[[The Edge of the Sea]]'' (1955)<br />''[[Silent Spring]]'' (1962)
| birth_name       = Rachel Louise Carson
}}

'''Rachel Louise Carson''' (May 27, 1907&nbsp;– April 14, 1964) was an American [[marine biologist]], writer, and [[conservation movement|conservationist]] whose sea trilogy (1941–1955) and book ''[[Silent Spring]]'' (1962) are credited with advancing [[marine conservation]] and the global [[environmental movement]].

Carson began her career as an aquatic biologist in the [[United States Fish and Wildlife Service|U.S. Bureau of Fisheries]], and became a full-time nature writer in the 1950s. Her widely praised 1951 bestseller ''[[The Sea Around Us]]'' won her a U.S. [[National Book Award]],<ref name=nba1952 /><ref>{{Cite web |last=Popova |first=Maria |date=December 1, 2022 |title=The Poetry of Science and Wonder as an Antidote to Self-Destruction: Rachel Carson's Magnificent 1952 National Book Award Acceptance Speech |url=https://www.themarginalian.org/2022/11/30/rachel-carson-national-book-award-speech/ |access-date=March 3, 2024 |website=The Marginalian |language=en-US}}</ref> recognition as a gifted writer, and financial security. Its success prompted the republication of her first book, ''[[Under the Sea Wind]]'' (1941), in 1952, which was followed by ''[[The Edge of the Sea]] ''in 1955 — both were also bestsellers. This sea trilogy explores the whole of ocean life from the shores to the depths.

Late in the 1950s, Carson turned her attention to conservation, especially some problems she believed were caused by synthetic [[pesticide]]s. The result was the book ''Silent Spring'' (1962), which brought environmental concerns to an unprecedented share of the American people. Although ''Silent Spring'' was met with fierce opposition by chemical companies, it spurred a reversal in national pesticide policy, which led to a nationwide ban on [[DDT]] and other pesticides. It also inspired a [[grassroots]] environmental movement that led to the creation of the [[U.S. Environmental Protection Agency]].<ref name="CarsonPaull">Paull, John (2013) [http://orgprints.org/22934/7/22934.pdf "The Rachel Carson Letters and the Making of Silent Spring"], ''SAGE Open'', 3 (July): 1–12. {{doi|10.1177/2158244013494861}}</ref> Carson was posthumously awarded the [[Presidential Medal of Freedom]] by President [[Jimmy Carter]].