Deeds of the present hold the keys to what is in store for us in future. Similarly, our present is an outcome of our past. The doings of our previous generations have, to some extent, defined and shaped the paths along which we think, the things we do and the way we live today.
One of the greatest milestones in human history that has had far reaching consequences all over the world is the Industrial Revolution around the turn of the 19th century. It initially emerged in Britain and rapidly spread to North America and Western Europe. Since then, industrialization has been a continuous evolutionary process. It essentially involves harnessing natural resources to manufacture a wide range of products like household articles, useful machines and healthcare products on a massive scale. The immediate consequence of industrialization was a general improvement in living standards. Industrialization is, in fact, considered to be an indicator of a nation’s progress.
The positive aspects of industrialization cannot be denied. But its negative impacts have been grossly overlooked until recently. Efficiency and effectiveness of industrialization was initially entirely related to maximization of production at lowest possible costs. The environmental hazards that came as part and parcel were ignored. Efforts towards managing pollution due to disposal of industrial wastes and byproducts were sparse. Relentless deforestation spelt doom for ecosystems.
Industrialization over the past two centuries has persistently robbed nature of its resources, the fossil fuels, in particular. The Earth is fast getting depleted of these exhaustible sources of energy, prompting the necessity to look for alternative energy resources. Extensive use of these fuels has triggered air pollution by smoke laden with compounds of carbon, nitrogen and sulphur. Release of unrestrained amounts of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases has resulted in one of the worst problems of the present day world-climate change and global warming.
The planet is reeling under the aftermath of the ruthless exploitation of nature. Melting glaciers, rising sea levels, species on the verge of extinction, scarcity of freshwater bear testimony to the devastations brought about by industrialization. Though scientists and environmentalists have been cautioning against the serious consequences of industrialization leading to high levels of pollution over the last few decades and some steps have been taken towards damage control, much remains to be done. Sincere and collective initiative is the need of the hour to save mankind and our beautiful planet from the ghosts of the past which are haunting our present.
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