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The environmental impact behind the Industrial Revolution: How did people respond?
The Industrial Revolution not only changed the way of production, but also profoundly affected the environment and society. From the end of the 18th century to the beginning of the 19th century, with the advancement of industrialization, cities developed rapidly and the population increased dramatically, but environmental costs followed. Factory chimneys emit large amounts of waste gas, rivers are polluted, and plant and animal habitats are destroyed. People are beginning to pay more attention to the living environment.
"A person's health is reflected in the environment in which he lives."
At that time, many people began to realize the environmental pollution and ecological damage caused by industrialization. For example, the Soot Abatement Association was established in 1898 in response to the widespread dangers of coal smoke in industrial cities at the time. Such environmental organizations play a key role in raising public awareness of environmental issues.
City life after the Industrial Revolution, especially London, experienced serious problems with dirty air. Around 1952, the Great Smog Incident in London caused thousands of deaths due to air pollution, prompting the government to review environmental policies. This made the introduction of the Clean Air Act in 1956 an important beginning of the modern environmental movement.
"When we care about the natural environment, we are only caring about ourselves."
In addition to air pollution, water pollution also continues to attract people's attention. At that time, there were insufficient sewage treatment facilities in the city, and factories discharged wastewater at will, which had a serious impact on the environment. The Public Health Act of 1899 required all factories to treat their sewage and punished violators.
In addition, the concept of environmental protection had a new interpretation at that time. At the end of the 19th century, philanthropist John Ruskin and other social activists began to call for the protection of nature and advocated the balanced development of cities and nature. Their ideas became the foundation of the later environmental movement:
"We are not only the owners of nature, but also its guardians."
With the increasing awareness of environmental protection, artists and literati at that time also expressed their love and thinking about nature through their works. William Wordsworth's poems frequently mentioned his appreciation of nature, and through the power of art, he aroused public attention to the environment.
However, there are also some people who oppose environmental protection. They believed that the development of industry contributed to human progress, and that a pessimistic view of the environmental movement was at best an overreaction. This kind of view appeared in the society at that time and formed a reverse environmental trend of thought.
"Human progress should not be at the expense of nature."
Looking further, these early environmental actions were not limited to local communities, but also extended to the international level. With the acceleration of globalization, many international environmental protection organizations have gradually been established and have gained political influence. This not only prompted the legislation of a series of environmental protection bills, but also elevated environmental issues to the global agenda.
In the context of the industrial revolution, the establishment of countless social movements and environmental protection organizations made people begin to pay attention to the protection of their own living environment. However, the effectiveness and adequacy of the action have sparked widespread debate. As we are today, facing climate change and environmental crises, we still need to ask ourselves: Can we learn from history to build a more sustainable future?
