World’s Scariest Words: ‘I’m an Environmentalist and I’m Here to Help’
Apparently not, ma’am.
First off, Kristof said that environmentalists blocked the use of DDT against malaria. Environmentalists were trying to stop agricultural use of DDT, which led to widespread resistance among the mosquito population. Many countries stopped using DDT because it had either become ineffective or because they could not control agricultural spraying.
DDT was not a panacea for mosquito vector control, and was ineffective because of resistance in many places. As a result, environmentalists urged the use of other insecticides which were as effective as, or in many cases more effective than, DDT.
But, I can see the confusion caused by getting your malariology from an op ed column rather than first hand sources.
And finally, your blanket “environmentalists” catch-all allows you to create a straw man and lump the activists who think vaccines cause autism in with the vast majority of environmentalists who accept the consensus on that issue as well as the scientific consensus on global warming.
But I’m sure you didn’t mean to use a dishonest rhetorical tactic like that.
