Historians note that the Industrial Revolution as one of the most important events in the twentieth century, and it was. It completely changed the way we live life. An abundance of cheap energy had found its purpose. New and improved technologies like the steam engine, the sowing machine, the automobile, and the airplane. It also was the cause of mass urbanization in everyplace that chose to participate.
While these great things were born from such an exciting time, there was also a serious negative consequence both to the planet and those who live on it. Industrialization, with its mechanized, large scale manufacturing produced fly ash, and massive air and water pollution. We still continue to strip the earth for her resources, fill her waters with poison, and infect her land with our junk.
Sometimes I feel as if we treat the earth like we have somewhere else to go. It’s not like when we trash this place we’ll just get a new one. A bigger, better version of what we had. Right now, humankind has this relationship with the earth where all we do is take, take, and take. For a century we’ve refused to think of the long-term consequences of our lifestyles. All I know is if Earth was my mother, she’d be pissed.
I hope that in the light of all this green talk that nations and all the individuals within them will make steps toward more sustainable lifestyles. I hope that we begin to live like the world is ours and she’s all we have.
(Industrial Revolution information came from my His158 class with David Bassano)
No comments:
Post a Comment