How Did The Industrial Revolution Affect The Environment

The human population has polluted and consumed natural resources at an extraordinary rate for centuries and the damage we have initiated will be irreversible if we continue this behavior. In the 17th century the Industrial Revolution began and with it came social changes that impacted the environment ("The Industrial Revolution and Its Impact on Our Environment" 1). The purpose of this paper is to show how, overtime, the Industrial Revolution has made a negative impact on the environment through urbanization. The author will give some background information and illustrate the deterioration of the environment through pollution of air, water, and deforestation. …show more content…
Soil pollution is caused by the overuse of chemical fertilizers, and soil erosion caused by running water and other pest control measures when farming. With the growing human population, demand for food was increased considerably. Farmers often use highly toxic fertilizers and pesticides to get rid off insects, fungi and bacteria from their crops. However the overuse of these chemicals, could result in contamination and poisoning of the soil; causing the land to no longer be fertile ("The Industrial Revolution and Its Impact on Our Environment" 1). Pesticides and fertilizer are among the other chemicals that can contaminate the groundwater. Nowadays over half of the Americans relied on the groundwater for drinking water. So this gives you a hint on how important groundwater was to the American population during the Industrial Revolution ("Water and Air Pollution"