Impact of the Industrial Revolution on the Environment

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Impact of the Industrial Revolution on the Environment

Human population growth on this planet has followed a long, slow J-curve shape leading up to a nearly exponential growth beginning around the time of the modern Industrial Revolution in the 1800s (Southwick, ch. 15). As the Industrial Revolution continues to spread to less-developed countries, their population growth is now skyrocketing as increased access to food and medical care raises the standards of living around the world, while many cultures have not yet responded with a lowered birth rate. This scenario is exactly what happened in London in the 1800s, when the pollution and overpopulation of the beginnings of dirty industry were in full swing.

Britain, with its large supplies of coal and developed infrastructure, was a place well prepared to begin industrialization. Textile mills, metalworking, glass, ceramic, and brewing industries released huge amounts of coal soot into London’s air which literally created a black haze over the city (Internet 2). With so much soot in the air blocking out sunlight, London was su...

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