Industrial Revolution and Nature

The Industrial Revolution greatly changed how humans interact with our environment.  Before the Industrial Revolution most of our ways to produce energy were sustainable and renewable.  We used water and wind to power machines and animals to plow fields or get us from point A to point B.  As populations grew though we needed to find a new way to produce energy.  This lead to the switch from renewable sources to non-renewable resources.  Coal became the number one way to power everything.  This change led us down a path that we have yet to get off, even though now it threatens our environment on a greater scale.

Nature took a backseat to the desire for growth that came with the Industrial Revolution.  As discussed in History 343 coal became the "sexy" form of energy even though it was truly the inferior form of fuel.  Coal was dirty, difficult to ignite, and difficult to transport.  At the time though it was abundant and inventors began to create technology based around the use of coal.  Such inventions like the boiler and furnaces became popular and were used by many.  Using this non-renewable form of energy damaged the environment but the excitement of new technology and industrializing was bigger than the harm being created.  Even now nothing has changed, the excitement of getting that new technology, be it a phone, computer, or car beats out the degradation that occurs to nature for most people.

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