the.com/pesticides
chemistry's answer to sharing the harvest with anything that isn't human.
means substances designed to kill or repel insects, weeds, fungi, or rodents that compete with humans for crops.
from from latin pestis (plague) plus caedere (to kill) — humans have been poisoning pests since ancient sumerians used sulfur compounds around 2500 bce, but the modern industry exploded after ddt's synthesis in 1939.
ddt banned1972 in us, decades after harm was known
global spendover 60 billion dollars yearly on pesticides
resistance evolvesover 500 insect species now resist common chemicals
bees affectedneonicotinoids linked to colony collapse disorder
for instance
ddt — silent spring's 1962 target, banned decades later
roundup — glyphosate herbicide, subject of billions in lawsuits
neonicotinoids — eu banned three types in 2018 over bee harm
malathion — still sprayed against mosquitoes across us cities