Assignment 2: Recycling, Reducing, and Reusing

Environmental issues and Industrial Revolution 1

Environmental issues and Industrial Revolution 2

Environmental Issues and the Industrial Revolution

Student Name

Course Name

Course No

Instructor’s Name

Date

Environmental Issues and the Industrial Revolution

Industrial Revolution Era was a period, in which fundamental changes occurred in,

textile, agriculture and transportation, metal manufacture, economic policies and the social

structure in England. This period is appropriately known as revolution, because it destroyed

the old manner of doing things; During this period (1760-1850) changes occurred gradually.

So the year 1760 is generally accepted as the eve of the Industrial Revolution. Actually this

eve starts more than two centuries ago this date.

During the period of Industrial Revolution there were many inventions that effected the

environment and society. For example automobiles, the telegraph, electricity the steamboat,

and the mechanical reaper etc. These inventions not only helped the Industrial Revolution to

grow up, as well as it had also affected the future society. These inventions create

dependence and people started to depend on them. For example automobiles and electricity,

these inventions helped the developing world. Because with the help of these jobs done

easily, tasks can be completed effortlessly, and it provided peoples more time for

concentrating other things instead work. Although these inventions revolutionized the world

and affected society for the better, but they were bad for the environment.

Most of these inventions of The Industrial Revolution Environmentally, were very

bad because they used natural resources and caused pollution. At that time, people have no

idea that they were negatively affecting the environment by using these. So air pollution,

overpopulation, waste disposal and water pollution were also negative effects on

industrial revolution. The air pollution has been produce because of use of coal in factories,

at that time coal was the best energy source to power all development. Waste disposal was

also a major environmental issue that closely related to water pollution as well. It also was

related to overpopulation. The Industrial Revolution boomed, After the Civil War, and along

with it the population boomed as well. When the population increased severally, then there

was no place left for the waste to go. So, most of the waste was thrown into nearby rivers or

just in empty places. So that water became cause of Water pollution. Which affect the

environment and society so when the people use that water for bathing or drinking it have bad

effect on them.

During the Industrial Revolution U.S.A and Great Britain started a race of

development, and indulge themselves in development and they did not pay any attention on

what was happening on earth and its resources. First of all, earth its inhabitants was being

polluted. Secondly, because of the pace of development, its natural resources were being

drained of,. At the same time production capacity was increasing and the economy was sky-

rocketing, and the natural resources were being worn out faster and faster. This came in

realization when the Industrial Revolution was at its peak, and it started slowed down the

Revolution until we came to a stage where a lot of the world was much developed and ready

to settle down.

On us Economy e industrialization have a most significant effect that was mass

movement of population to the large cities and away from rural areas. Second effect was

significant shift in wealth. Before Industrialization, wealthy Americans were people who

owned large farms but after industrialization wealth moved to industrialists. Third effect is

that Industrialization made the United States a player on the World Scene. Because of the

industrialization US became a World Power.

Due to industrialization need and number of power plants and factories increased

so a number of problems including air pollution and damaging run-off is started to increase.

Marine life also affected by factory pollution. Another main effect is an increase in urban to

rural migration. In United States there are poor urban problem resulted in sprawl and poor

long-distance public transportation. This increased dependence on fuel for personal

transportation.

One final major environmental problem that effect industrlization in the late 1960s

and early 1970s was the use of fertilizers and pesticides. As agriculture was becoming more

centralized and commercialized and, high yield crops need also increased. Use of pesticides,

especially DDT, resulted in severe consequences to humans and animals alike.

Following laws has been passed to handle environmental issues in 1970

The National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) 

Environmental Quality Improvement Act,

the National Environmental Education Act,

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)

The main purpose of these federal laws was to assure that the environment must be

protected against both private and public actions that failed to take account of costs or harms

inflicted on the eco-system.The EPA is supposed to analyze and monitor the environment,

conduct research, and work closely with local governments and state to devise pollution

control policies.

It has five main objectives, called "core functions." These include:

· Pollution Prevention

· Risk Assessment & Reduction,

· Science, Research, and Technology,

· Regulatory Development

· Environmental Education

NEPA (really enacted in 1969) has been described as one of Congress's most

far reaching environmental legislation ever passed. The main objective of NEPA is to

force governmental agencies to consider the effects of their decisions on the

Environment.

Clean Air Act  (CAA):  Main purpose of clean air act was protect air quality by

regulating mobile , and stationary sources of pollution.   Clean Water Act  (CWA):  This Act protects water by preventing discharge of

pollutants into navigable waters from point sources.

Environmental laws protect the safety and health of environment and humans. For

example, the Clean Air Act limits emissions of pollutants; Clean Water Act prohibits

dumping of waste water into U.S. ocean waters without a permit. Without such laws,

individuals and business might do whatever was most easy or cost-effective for them, rather

than acting for the good of environment and society. These laws tend to increase innovative

environmentally friendly technology.

On the other hand Businesses may consider these environmental laws in a negative

light if they must adapt their practices and increase spending money to comply with them.

Individuals may also feel uncomfortable by practicing laws as well, such as a new law against

fishing in a favourite spot. Conducting a cost-benefit analysis of environmental laws often

proves challenging, as negative effects of not implementing these laws -- such as illness ,

death, and ecosystem destruction -- cannot always be measured in monetary terms. However,

becoming more environmentally friendly and following laws we may actually save

businesses and individuals money in the long term, particularly by reducing energy and waste

usage, despite the cost of the initial investment.

References

Ashton, T. S. The Industrial Revolution. London: Oxford University Press, 1969.

Chambers, J. D. The Workshop of the World. London: Oxford University Press, 1968.

Toynbee, A. The Industrial Revolution. Boston: Beacon Press, 1957.

Ashton, T. S. The Industrial Revolution. London: Oxford University Press, 1969.

Bukro, Casey. "EPA Chief Ties Ecology to Economy." Chicago Tribune. 13 February 1993.

Cole, Carol. "Bush Backs Budget Cuts at EPA; Democrats Vow to Fight." World Fuels

Today. 8 February 2006.

Collin, Robert W. The Environmental Protection Agency: Cleaning up America's

act. Greenwood Press. 2006.

Payne, P.L. British Entrepreneurship in the Nineteenth Century. New York: Macmillan, 1974.

Pike, E. R. Hard Times: Human Documents of the Industrial Revolution. New York: Praeger, 1966.

Thompson, E. P. The Making of the English Working Class. New York: Pantheon, 1964.

Toynbee, A. The Industrial Revolution. Boston: Beacon Press, 1957.