A bold new book, The Excellent Powder: DDT's Political and Scientific History, reinitiates the public debate on DDT (dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane). Quick book synopsis here: http://www.washingtonexaminer.com/opinion/columns/From-wonder-chemical-to-environmental-pariah----and-back-again-92125919.html. Is it contentious? You bet. But it reminds me of the quote (I forget the source) and I paraphrase: Even if all the world's experts agree on something, that doesn't make the claim right or true.
This echoes one of my favorite books, The Skeptical Environmentalist, which bases all conclusions and policy recommendations on hard statistics. (This is the book that shows, among other things, that recycling is not economically viable.)
