People to Know

Question 1

Rachel Carson

Answer 1

published Silent Spring (1962) which documented environmental damage caused by DDT and other pesticides; catalyzed the modern environmental movement by raising public awareness about chemical pollution

Question 2

John Muir

Answer 2

founder of Sierra Club (1892) and pioneering conservationist who advocated for wilderness preservation; fought unsuccessfully against the Hetch Hetchy Dam in Yosemite National Park

Question 3

Gifford Pinchot

Answer 3

first chief of US Forest Service and champion of conservation ethics; advocated “wise use” philosophy for managing natural resources through sustainable yield and multiple-use principles

Question 4

Garrett Hardin

Answer 4

author of “The Tragedy of the Commons” (1968) who argued that individuals acting in self-interest will ultimately deplete shared resources without regulation or private ownership; introduced key concept about resource management challenges

Question 5

Aldo Leopold

Answer 5

author of A Sand County Almanac (1949) who developed the influential “Land Ethic” concept; promoted the idea that humans have moral responsibility to protect and preserve natural ecosystems rather than viewing land merely as property

Question 6

Sherwood Rowland and Mario Molina

Answer 6

scientists who discovered in 1974 that chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) destroy stratospheric ozone; their research led to the Montreal Protocol and global phase-out of ozone-depleting substances

Question 7

Thomas Malthus

Answer 7

economist who warned that human population grows exponentially while food production grows linearly; predicted that unchecked population growth would lead to resource depletion