[INFORMATIVE] The Industrial Revolution and it's Effects on the Climate
The Industrial Revolution and it's Effects on the Climate
By: Ansu Turtogtokh
It is thought that the industrial revolution is one of the main causes of climate change. Between the late 18th to the early 19th century, human civilization underwent a serious transition from the traditional agricultural and mercantilist economies to an industrial one with coal, gas, and steam machines at the center of every operation. This started human dependence on fossil fuels, which resulted in immense growth in greenhouse gas emissions, which marked the beginnings of “global warming”.
Of the many factors that drove the Industrial Revolution, perhaps the most important was the discovery of the coal-fired steam engine. The engines ran on the combustion of coal and oil, which released CO2 and other greenhouse gasses into the air. It resulted in not only climate change, but widespread air and water pollution, deforestation, and habitat destruction.
A study from Nature in 2016 shows an increase in temperatures of oceanic areas such as the Tropical oceans and the Arctic in 1830’s. The new global reform ultimately started this different pattern in weather.
As industrialization spread throughout Europe to other parts of the world, so did climate change. We can't possibly say that the Industrial Revolution was the only cause of different climate patterns, but it has been affecting ecosystems powerfully.
The influence and impact of the revolution were strong on the living conditions of human beings. Though technology developed, living and working conditions rapidly worsened considerably. Factory workers were mostly women and children, and excessively long hours in terrible slum conditions with little wages and almost no employment security left devastating consequences on them.
The quickening process of industrialization required the displacement of specific communities in the rural area. This has led to the destruction of traditional lifestyles. People in the countryside were hit by the taking over of lands for the new manufacturing factory businesses. Because most people were forced to migrate to urban slums, they struggled to find work and access to basic necessities such as clean water and sanitation. In addition, they were all forced to move to the urban centers, which were crowded and polluted, in which diseases like cholera and tuberculosis thrived immensely.
Overall, the Industrial Revolution was a period in human history that started the path of technological development and economic growth. Even though it has its positives, it costs people and nature's health. The exploitation of fossil fuels has made a huge dent in the world's climate patterns, leading to one of the alarming topics: global warming.
Sources
Abram, N., McGregor, H., Tierney, J. et al. Early onset of industrial-era warming across the oceans and continents. Nature 536, 411–418 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1038/nature19082
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