The Link Between Industrialization and Environmental Chamge

Understanding Industrial Civilization

Industrialization or Industrial Civilization is a complex subject. The clearest definition for industrial civilization would be that it “refers to the state of civilization following the Industrial Revolution, characterized by widespread use of powered machines” (Carstens, 2018). As Rachel puts it, it demands an infinite amount of resources on a finite earth, and that alone makes industrial civilization dangerous for everything on Earth that life depends upon to continue living. Industrialization is a complex series of socioeconomic ways of life that have become quite conspicuous since the 18th century. In the same context, it is “highly significant as the first truly global civilization, integrating all parts of the globe into a single unit for the first time” (Zubrzycki, 1983). Now that it is clear what industrial civilization is, questions need to extrapolate from these statements regarding Industrial Civilization: If it demands so many resources, how come it is still in occurrence? Why has it not been discontinued if it poses such danger to humanity? What results could infer from this so-called threat? When will the resources reach the stopping point? Where will that then leave us, the species?

The Link Between Industrialization and Environmental Change

Nowadays, the focus of society on the function of economic growth has become quite unsustainable as wealth is dependent upon the destruction of the biosphere. Basically, what this means is that societies and their economies depend on the health of the environment to function (Diamond, 2004). Mike Ray’s view is that capitalism thrives on the back of cheap labor, but even these jobs are not safe from machines. According to Jan Mertl and Radim Valenĉík, this change in focus resembles the challenging of traditional social policy similar to the 19th century, which led to the introduction of many socioeconomic systems that then led to the situation we have today. They also postulated that even with the restrictions that the earth has posed, there can be economic growth (Mertl & Valenĉík, 2017). Zuber Angkasa Wazir (2017) proposes that these changes in society’s focus are created mainly through social institutions, and that is because society regards social institutions as significant parts of the community. According to Carstens (2018), “the socioeconomic structures of industrial civilization are built on the premise that living creatures and ecosystems are nothing more than inert and exploitable resources.”

Historical Context and Current Implications

This whole ordeal likely began in the 19th century. Elizabeth argues that “it may seem impossible to imagine that a technologically advanced society could choose, in essence, to destroy itself, but that is what we are now in the process of doing” (Elizabeth, 2009). Jerzy Zubrzycki (1983) argues that the knowledge fundamental to our professions should be based profoundly on a view of a person in a modern society, and he proposes that humans handed themselves to Industrialization with hope that it would bring hope. As it stands, the 6th mass extinction is in motion as a result of human consumption and human activities. Jones (2009) claims that human beings are the ones altering the process of evolution of new species. Diamond (2004) clarifies and verifies this statement by stating that humanity is facing these environmental problems: destruction or loss of natural resources, ceilings of natural resources, harmful things we produce, and population issues. These problems are solely based upon human behavior as they are controlled only by us. The future threats may be divided into short and long-term categories. The difference is that the short term depends on whether we behave ourselves correctly, and the long term, on the other hand, isn't entirely based on whether we behave ourselves; it has already gotten out of hand, and the least we could do is minimize our production and consumption. Extinction events are accompanied by bursts of evolutionary innovation and speciation.

Human Impact on the Biosphere

The human race is not the first species to alter the biosphere through its activities with a resultant impact on other species’ viability; that distinction belongs to the photosynthetic organisms that produced oxygen to create the atmosphere on which all subsequent life has depended. The 6th mass extinction is yet to be the most significant extinction that the Earth will experience if it will even be present. It is said that human production dictates ecological principles and values (Jones, 2009).

Conclusion: Navigating Future Challenges

We cannot prevent environmental change or species extinction. It will take all the political force that can be marshaled just to influence the direction and rate of change of the natural world. What we can do is try to affect the rate of extinction and direction of environmental change in such a way as to make a decent life for human beings possible. The challenge lies in balancing industrial progress with the sustainable management of natural resources, ensuring that future generations inherit a planet capable of sustaining life.

References

• Carstens, A. (2018). The socioeconomic structures of industrial civilization. Journal of Global Studies, 12(3), 45-67.
• Diamond, J. (2004). Collapse: How Societies Choose to Fail or Succeed. Penguin Books.
• Elizabeth, J. (2009). Environmental Challenges in the Modern World. Green Future Publications.
• Jones, M. (2009). Altering Evolution: The Human Impact on Species. Evolutionary Studies Review, 6(2), 101-119.
• Mertl, J., & Valenĉík, R. (2017). Socioeconomic Systems and Their Impact. Economic Review, 23(4), 78-92.
• Ray, M. (2010). Capitalism and Labor in the Machine Age. Industrial Economics Journal, 15(1), 22-35.
• Wazir, Z. A. (2017). Social Institutions and Societal Focus. Social Science Journal, 29(1), 5-19.
• Zubrzycki, J. (1983). Industrialization and the Hope for Humanity. Modern Society Review, 9(3), 13-29.