Nobel Prize Winner 1970: the father of the 'Green Revolution' argues in defence of DDT
Nobel Prize Winner 1970: the father of the 'Green Revolution' argues in defence of DDT
Are pesticides and chemical fertilizers as harmful as some people claim? The Unesco Courier has devoted space in the past to opposing views on this controversial question, on the one hand favourable to DDT and pesticides (Gene Gregory in "The Magic of Modern Chemistry", June 1971) and a number of articles pointing to the danger of DDT and other pesticides ("Man the Killer of Nature", a U.N. report on problems of the environment, August-September 1970; "SOS Environment", a message from 2,200 scientists, July 1971). In addition, our Letters to the Editor column has contained many letters opposing the use of DDT etc.
In this issue we publish large extracts from the 1971 McDougall Memorial Lecture delivered on November 8, 1971, at the Food and Agriculture Organization in Rome by Nobel Peace Prize winner Norman E. Borlaug. Dr Borlaug was awarded the Nobel Prize for his contribution to the Green Revolution in agriculture. His address was entitled "Mankind and Civilization at Another Crossroads". Here Dr. Borlaug makes a vigorous refutation of the campaigns being staged in the name of the protection of the environment against chemical products such as DDT and certain fertilizers. Dr. Borlaug considers that not only do these products do a great deal more good than harm, but that their use is essential to the survival of a large portion of mankind, particularly in the developing world.