Environmental Effects Of The Industrial Revolution

The Industrial Revolution that occurred in Great Britain throughout 1760 to 1830, was a time in which many advancements in technology and industry occurred. However, the repercussions of the revolution are often overlooked, due to the focus on the positive elements. Certain advancements were made to the agricultural industry, the process in which textiles were made was improved, the growth of the mining industry occured, iron products were created, basic transportation such as railroads were made, and also the creation of the steam engine (Montagna 1). Due to these basic advancements, one would infer that the standard of living would spike. However the opposite occurred. The standard of living decreased, and along with it, the environment endured …show more content…
However, during the Industrial revolution, the damage to the environment was that intensive that the effects were seen within a very short period of time. One of the main factors that created severe environmental implications was the creation of the steam engine. “Mechanized factories based on steam engine power began opening everywhere. The steam was created by burning massive amounts of coal and the factories belched out choking clouds of smoke. About one hundred years later, machinery and transportation power systems changed. They began switching to electricity, produced mostly by burning more coal” ("Beyond Carbon" 1). Coal was predominantly the only energy source that was available to those living in the Industrial Revolution, so it makes sense that coal would be used to as much extent as possible. However, the academic journal titles “Beyond Carbon” outlines that approximately one hundred years later, advancements were made. During the time period of 1760 to 1830, the only real advancement was the creation of the steam engine, whereas the better advancements occurred later on. Furthermore, at the time of 1760 to 1830 the environmental degradation did outweigh the advancements made to technology and industry. The industrial revolution was constantly creating copious amounts of emissions, one being sulfur dioxides. When sulfur dioxides combine with water, they create what is known as acid rain. When acid rain occurs, it creates devastating effects on agriculture and the environment, burning through the plants themselves. This is very retroactive in a sense that the agricultural industry is advancing by creating higher yields, yet due to the increase in industry, the plants are dying. Along with the dying plants, is the evolution of the peppered moth. The peppered moth or “melanic moth” is a classic example to show how physically trees are changing