Environmental Issues and the Industrial Revolution Essay Example

reduction in levels of oxygen. The aquatic life had to compete for oxygen. Further, increase in algae led to the death of marine life as they lacked enough oxygen. Other industrial water released to the water sources had higher temperatures than the temperatures of the water sources, a phenomenon that also caused the death of aquatic animals.

Technological advancement and increase in agricultural produce caused a rise in population. The demand for shelter increased due to the rising population. Therefore, more land was acquired to build houses and trees were cut down to provide timber. Further, trees were used to burn charcoal for domestic consumption to meet the demand for the increasing population (Martinez, 2005). The rise in population also increased the labor force and people moved from rural areas to urban areas to seek employment. More land was acquired to build factories due to the already available labor force, and this affected the wildlife habitat negatively. Srivastav, Srivastav & Energy and Resources Institute (2015) argue that there was massive destruction of the ecosystem as a result of the industrial revolution.

The environmental movement focused on protecting and conserving the ecosystem including land, water, air plants and animals along with other habitats such as oceans, lakes, deserts and rainforests. The environmental movement was concerned with concepts that deal with environmental issues such as overpopulation, natural resources management, global warming and urbanization (Rejeski & Olson, 2005). Since the activities of human development altered and harmed the natural ecosystem, the movement corrected the damage and prevented further destruction in future.

Various laws have been passed since the 1970s movement. One of the laws is National Environmental Policy Act, which was created

in 1970 and Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). The role of EPA was to protect the environment through setting standard, research, enforcement activities among others. Other legislations passed include Clean Water Act, Endangered Species Act, Resource Conservation and Recovery Act and Clean Air Act that aimed at protecting the environment (Bini & Bech, 2014).

Clean Air Act and Resource Conservation and Recovery Act have been implemented since their enactment. The spirit of Clean Air Act is establishing and maintaining standards and goals for quality and purity of water in the U.S. The law has undergone a series of amendments to enhance control of toxic pollutants and to address the issues of oil spills more efficiently. The law has been effective in controlling toxic pollutants that are released into rivers, lakes and oceans (Raffensperger & Tickner, 1999).

Through setting standards, the quality and purity of water have improved which has impacted the marine habitat positively. The spirit of Resource Conservation and Recovery Act on the other hand is the prevention of the creation of dumps of toxic waste through setting standards that manages hazardous waste. The act incorporates some provisions that deal with clean up of the already contaminated sites. The law has led to better management of waste to reduce environmental pollution (Rejeski & Olson, 2005). The environment has been managed well thanks to such legislation. Many factories have for instance reduced the release of toxic waste in the environment and management of waste resources has also been enhanced.

Various steps may be employed to improve the situation of the environment. One of the steps is the development of better technology for recycling of contaminated water in factories and

disposal of waste (Bini & Bech, 2014). Another step is to use organic methods such as the use of microbes to clean soil and water. Policies should also be formulated and implemented to prevent the use of land that may lead to environmental degradation.

Conclusion

Industrial revolution contributed immensely to environmental pollution globally. The release of toxic chemicals into water sources, misuse of land and mining are some of the activities that led to environmental pollution. Various legislations have been enacted to conserve the environment. Formulation and implementation of policies, improved techniques for recycling contaminated industrial water and use of organic methods such as microbes can improve the situation of the environment.

References

• Bini, C., & Bech, J. (Eds.). (2014). PHE's, Environment and Human Health: Potentially Harmful Elements in the Environment and the Impact on Human Health. Dordrecht, NLD: Springer.
• Martinez, L. (2005). Post Industrial Revolution Human Activity and Climate Change: why the United States Must Implement Mandatory Limits on Industrial Greenhouse Gas Emissions. Journal of Land Use , 407-427.
• Raffensperger, C., & Tickner, J. A. (1999). Protecting Public Health & the Environment : Implementing the Precautionary Principle. Washington, D.C.: Island Press.
• Rejeski, D., & Olson, R. L. (2005). Environmentalism & the Technologies of Tomorrow : Shaping the Next Industrial Revolution. Washington: Island Press.
• Srivastav, A., Srivastav, S., & Energy and Resources Institute,. (2015). Ecological meltdown: Impact of unchecked human growth on the earth's natural systems.