Environmental Issues and Industrial Revolution, Research Paper Example

Introduction

The use of mass machinery and factories by the year 1700 marked the start of industrial revolution majorly in Britain. It then spread to the US and later to the entire world. People did not take into consideration the short and long-term negative impacts the industrialization would pose especially to the environment. For example, the depletion of forests through deforestation that destroyed wildlife, forests and water catchment areas (Jensen, 2003). This essay presents three major negative impacts of industrial revolution to the environment especially in the USA.

Global warming as a result of deforestation

Due to rapid increase of industries, there was a need to construct many industries in places that were covered by forests, thus, a massive cut down of trees led to their depletion. In this regard, the carbon emission by the industries to the atmosphere increased. This was possible owing to lack of forests to consume these carbons in order to refresh the environment with healthy oxygen gas. The problem of global warming was realized as the temperatures rose and the glaciers began to melt. Therefore, the rise in oceans and sea levels were noted. Moreover, the animal and plant species were endangered, thus global warming resulted (Gimpel, 2007).

Water pollution

Water pollution increased due to the increased release of effluences by the industries that were being developed in the USA. These effluences were neither treated nor recycled before being released to the water bodies such as streams, rivers, and lakes. An example was in 1969, when chemical waste was released in to Ohio’s Cuyahoga River that made it burst into flames. This led to the destruction of aquatic life, which led to the death of fish and other water creatures. The water sources such as lakes, seas, and oceans were also contaminated by rain runoffs like oil-ways, construction sites, mining places, and dumpsite whose sites were left with derelicts. The ground water was also contaminated with pesticides, fertilizers, leaky tanks, as well as oil tanks that continuously busted. The US population relies on the usage of underground waters, thus the effect of water pollution could result both directly and indirectly to human life (McCully, 2006).

Air pollution

Large-scale coal mining resulted into smog and soot, which would pose a serious health hazard to human health. For instance, 4000 people died in London due to condensation of factory pollutants released in to the air. Air acid rain was another problem caused by the burning of coal into the atmosphere, which destroyed plants, aquatic life, forests, and some buildings. The US is the leading cause of air pollution due to motor vehicles that were produced in plenty in 20^th century. The emissions from vehicles caused the increase in greenhouse gases that resulted in to global warming (Jensen, 2003).

Environmental movement and its effects on industrialization in USA

The wind energy emerged in USA in 1978 -1992, which was then called wind energy sector. The wind energy sector influenced the rise in entrepreneurship and promoted the importance of natural resources. Later, this resulted to the decrease in the usage of energy source that led to pollution like the coal (Berry & Rondinelli, 2008). The environmental movements made most of the US industries lose money through low production costs and increase in cheap markets for their commodities was realized. Improper waste disposal and the great reduction of production due to reduced human health ate into industry thus more losses were incurred (Atkins, William, & Phillip, 2012).

Environmental laws put in place to safeguard environment from pollution

In 1963, the US Congress passed the Clean Air Act, legislation though it was ineffective since people still suffered from the diseased earlier contacted from industrialization and filthy environment they were living in. The Clean Water Act was passed in1972, today the US benefits relatively by getting clean and safe drinking water in comparison with the rest of the world. However, water pollution is still an issue to be solved as reported in 2006 by Environmental News Service (ENS) that more than 62 percent of industries and municipal facilities discharged untreated pollutants to waterways than their Clean Water Act permitted (Atkins, William, & Phillip, 2012).

Conclusion

The fight against environmental pollution is no longer a US issue alone. The whole world is concerned with the effects thus; there is an initiative to every individual to be concerned with conservation and sustainability of the environment for the present and future generation.

References

Atkins, William A., & Phillip K. “Industry – Water, Effects, Environmental, Pollutants.” Pollution Issues. Advameg, Inc., 2012. Web. 14 Feb. 2012. Retrieved on 9^th April 2014 <http://www.pollutionissues.com/Ho-Li/Industry.html

Berry, M. A., & Rondinelli, D. A. (2008). Proactive corporate environmental management: a new industrial revolution. The Academy of Management Executive, 12(2), 38-50.

Gimpel, J. (2007). The medieval machine: The industrial revolution of the Middle Ages. New Zealand: Penguin Books.

Jensen, M. C. (2003). The modern industrial revolution, exit, and the failure of internal control systems. the Journal of Finance, 48(3), 831-880.

McCully, P. (2006). Rivers no more: the environmental effects of dams (pp. 29-64). Zed Books Ltd.