Environmental Issues and the Industrial Revolution - Essay Example

Checking all the angles and dimensions of a revolution is the name of the game, but Industrial Revolution analysts forgot to examine the most important of all dimensions – environment. Various sorts of pollutions such as contamination of water, ozone layer destruction, etc. are making headlines everyday, which is an alarming situation (Hobsbawm, 1999). Following are the three most environmentally negative impacts of the Industrial Revolution. Forests and Trees Demolition Due to the Industrial Revolution, deforestation is taking place, which has led to a very disastrous scenario.

Forest trees and natural resources are consumed in the industries for production, thus demolishment of trees is taking place massively. Forests and trees are responsible for consuming the carbon dioxide gas and produce oxygen which is necessary and essential for human beings’ survival. Now because of deforestation, cutting of trees is making a colossal negative impact on the environment. Wildlife is also immensely affected through it, which can lead to finish wildlife too (Mayumi, 1991). Contaminated Crops Lal (2004) illustrated that impure water waste which comes out from the industry either goes into the sea or in the fields, hence making crops and food items polluted and contaminated.

Food items radically are not healthy enough, and it also spreads various diseases in humans. Most of the factories were established in the countryside with an idea not to pollute cities, but instead, it started polluting crops. Impure water wastage is the core reason of unhealthy fruits and vegetables availability in the consumer market and this situation prevails due to the unplanned Industrial Revolution. Air Pollution Industrialization gave humans beneficiary cars and motorbikes so that they could travel distances in minutes, but everything comes with a price; air pollution is the biggest price which humans are paying for this technological advancement.

Air pollution has disturbed human beings in several ways and it is the major reason of the damage in the ozone layer. Due to impure gas exhaustion from the vehicles, air becomes polluted, causing diseases such as lungs cancer, asthma etc. Pressure horns of the vehicles mentally affect humans, which causes tumor and various mental diseases. Cities are affected the most due to air pollution (Seinfeld, 1986). Environmental Actions in U.S The Industrial Revolution effects were later discussed among individuals, environmentalists and analysts, who were quite distressed after watching tremendous destruction of the environment in the world due to this revolution.

NGOs have taken this issue very seriously and demanded governments to set rules and regulations for environment protection. Consequently, various actions started in order to save the environment through 1880s, but in 1950s and later, these actions reached their peak due to the occurrence of various environmental issues. Therefore in 1970, Government of U.S had to come up with a refined environmental action legislation which intended to protect the environment of the country. This was a big move indeed, but its practical implementation throughout the country was the main issue.

Industrialists were not pleased from the verdict as it brought several limitations on them (Dunlap & Mertig, 1991). Establishment of Laws Arbuckle and Miller (1976) demonstrated that the outrageous appeals from environmental act