Continuous discontinuation: the DDT ban as a framework for the perpetuation of pesticides use

Abstract

Listen

Translate article

ABSTRACT The ban of DDT in the 1970s is widely remembered as a turning point in environmental regulation. Through a comparative analysis of the United States and France, this study explores how discontinuing a single chemical paradoxically contributed to stabilizing the broader socio-technical regime underpinning productivity-oriented agriculture, which still heavily relies on chemical inputs.Drawing on historical archives, policy documents, and scientific literature, the study introduces the concept of continuous discontinuation, arguing that rather than disrupting the pesticide regime, the DDT ban legitimized its persistence by institutionalizing selective removals. This process structured regulatory frameworks, reinforced risk assessment methods, and enabled agrochemical industries to adapt without fundamentally altering pesticide dependence. By highlighting the interplay between destabilization and stabilization mechanisms, this article challenges linear narratives of socio-technical change, showing that regulatory discontinuities can paradoxically serve as instruments of continuity. Ultimately, it sheds light on how governance of technological withdrawals shapes socio-technical resilience and the long-term trajectory of contested technologies.