Our Environment Contents

3. Revolutions

The industrial revolution had profound long term effects on the environment

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As Pirages and Ehrlich (1974) note the industrial revolution superficially appeared to render society less dependent on nature (in the sense that fewer people were directly employed on the land, and industry had power over the natural resources which it used). However, the industrial revolution was to have profound environmental implications in the longer term, the significance of which are only recently being fully appreciated.

What were some of the long term environmental effects of the industrial revolution?