The Industrial Revolution began in England in the middle of the 18^th century.  A variety of ingenious inventions paved the way for machines to be used in production.

The industrial societies used machines that were able to make use of energy to do work.  Earlier, this work had to be done by humans or animals.  The fact that burning coal could replace the need for human labor deeply altered human and environmental history.

A Drawing of Industry.  Image Credit: Kevin Kitano.

While the Industrial Revolution meant that more goods could be produced for human consumption, it also meant that more pollution would be emitted into the sky and more natural resources would have to be exploited in the production process.

Industrialization has resulted in pollution of water, air and soil.  Harmful waste has increased astronomically.  All of these problems pose significant threats to both the environment and to human life.

Populations in industrialized countries moved from rural areas to urban areas.  This exacerbated the effects of rising pollution.  The concentrated population and a higher standard of living also produced larger amounts of waste.

Agriculture was also affected by industrialization.  More advanced machines and techniques for farming became available.  These new methods caused the soil to degenerate and increased the amount of land used in farming - ruining animal habitats.

As with the urbanization of thousands of years before, the Industrial Revolution changed the way people thought about themselves in relation to nature.  Industrialization told many people that they had mastered nature, and were now apart from and above it.

An educational guide to the industrial revolution