The Cost Of Industrialization

As you put down your phone after scrolling through social media for yet another dose of dopamine, you slowly get lulled away from reality. Craving another rush of it, you pick up your phone once again, for the instant gratification, the ease of access, and the artificial human connection. Your phone is just one of the many consequences of industrialization and it definitely won’t be the last. Industrialization has led to weaker humans, lazier humans, and socially inept humans. In other words, “The Industrial Revolution and its consequences have been a disaster for the human race”(Kaczynski 1). Manufacturing has been the root of the problem promoting the urbanization of cities, damage to the environment, and ultimately damaging us. We need to boycott this and save the future. You may wonder how I can have the insight to speak on this topic and to that I answer: I am someone who lives in this environment too, I am affected by the things that happen in my environment, and I choose to study the topics to stay informed and educated about them by using resources available to everyone via the internet.

Industrialization has negatively impacted our perception of the environment and how we internally absorb the environment around us. Urbanized environments cause many negative effects such as high stressors, violence and crime, pollution and poverty, and even limited freedom: “Urbanization affects mental health through the influence of increased stressors and factors such as overcrowded and polluted environment, high levels of violence, and reduced social support”(Srivastava). The study conducted by Srivastava labeled a key contributor to stress and negative mental conditions to be the high-stress conditions of an urban environment. In contrast, environmental studies conclude that settings full of nature lead to greater well-being physically, mentally, and socially. “Proximity to greenspace has been associated with lower levels of stress and reduced symptomology for depression and anxiety while interacting with nature can improve cognition for children with attention deficits and individuals with depression” (Pearson and Craig). Studies show that urbanized settings cause our mental health to be impacted negatively and nature can do the reverse. As a result, people are suffering due to the environment they are raised or live in. The urban environment being a huge cause of stress for people when the natural environment does not, highlights the dangers of absorbing the stress of the urban environment and the toll it takes on our mental health. It shows how distancing from the environment will show benefits with not just stress, but happiness and fulfillment too.

Industrialization doesn’t just negatively impact us but the environment and animals too. It causes irreversible damage that can only be stopped when we stop the mass manufacturing that goes on in factories. In recent years air pollution has been increasing exponentially and reducing biodiversity along with killing more people each year. Countless innocent lives are lost, environments are destroyed, and homes are eradicated. The luscious green shrubbery withering and ponds tinted gray. A study on the reasons for air pollution seems to show that the causes are primarily due to man-made production: “by-products of manufacturing and power generation, particularly coal-fueled power plants, and fumes from chemical production are the primary sources of human-made air pollution”(Air Pollution and Your Health). That means we are the cause of the death and destruction of so much life. Our daily actions are doing this. This isn’t the extent of environmental damage, we have damaged other animal life. “The Living Planet Index indicates that global populations of vertebrate species have, on average, declined in size by 60 percent in just over 40 years… The biggest drivers of current biodiversity loss are overexploitation and agriculture”(World Wildlife Fund). The damages that have been slowly destroying the earth are directly linked to human actions and consumption. All were made possible with the help of industrial mass production and factories. We could prevent such damages from further worsening by decreasing the mass production and pollution levels that come from the production.

People often question anti-industrialization because its growth has brought medical care and safety to us. While medical care has benefitted us, it has been just as much harmed by industrialization. Research conducted on people has concluded that we are already in the middle of being affected by chemicals and other byproducts being mixed in chemically during production and by other means. “The scientists found microparticles of four common plastics in blood samples from 17 out of 22 healthy adults”(Medical News Today). Not only is this information shocking but it really shows us how unaware we are of what’s going on around us. Literal plastic has entered our bloodstream from external sources. Microplastics are created in the industrial process and look at where they end up, inside our own bodies. The harmful effects of industrialization are on the path of eradicating life and making the environment gradually more toxic. That isn’t the least of it. Industrialization has brought lots of harm to the environment and as a result, worsens global warming. Research shows that global warming will affect us greatly by impacting “human health by worsening air and water quality, increasing the spread of certain diseases, and altering the frequency or intensity of extreme weather events”(United States Environmental Protection Agency). The industrialization leading to global warming has resulted in conditions that are worsening each year as global warming gets worse. All of this is currently happening and will continue to happen in the near future at worsened levels. We have to put an end to industrialization such as mass production which litters the atmosphere.

Industrialization is constantly harming the environment and us along with it. The very place we call home is deteriorating and our health’s even faster. The only way to prevent this is to hinder industrialization and progressively put an end to it. If we just stand by the quality our lives will plummet and future generations will have their chances ruined. To conclude, as people of the Earth it is our duty to protect where we live and the life that belongs on it. However, we are doing the exact opposite and slipping down a dangerous slope that we need to find a path away from before it gets too steep and we have no hopes to save our environment. This is where we have to take the initiative and make a change.

Works Cited

“Air Pollution and Your Health.” National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, www.niehs.nih.gov/health/topics/agents/air-pollution/index.cfm. Accessed 17 Oct. 2023. 

“Could Microplastics in Human Blood Pose a Health Risk?” Medical News Today, MediLexicon International, www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/could-microplastics-in-human-blood-pose-a-health-risk. Accessed 17 Oct. 2023. 

Impacts of Climate Change | US EPA - U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, www.epa.gov/climatechange-science/impacts-climate-change. Accessed 17 Oct. 2023. 

Industrial Society and Its Future - UC Davis, web.cs.ucdavis.edu/~rogaway/classes/188/materials/Industrial%20Society%20and%20Its%20Future.pdf. Accessed 17 Oct. 2023. 

“Nothing Natural about Nature’s Steep Decline: WWF Report Reveals Staggering Extent of Human Imp.” WWF, wwf.panda.org/wwf_news/?337389%2FNothing-natural-about-natures-steep-decline-WWF-report-reveals-staggering-extent-of-human-impact-on-planet. Accessed 17 Oct. 2023. 

Pearson, David G, and Tony Craig. “The Great Outdoors? Exploring the Mental Health Benefits of Natural Environments.” Frontiers in Psychology, U.S. National Library of Medicine, 21 Oct. 2014, www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4204431/. 

Srivastava, Kalpana. “Urbanization and Mental Health.” Industrial Psychiatry Journal, U.S. National Library of Medicine, July 2009, www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2996208/#:~:text=Urbanization%20affects%20mental%20health%20through,violence%2C%20and%20reduced%20social%20support. 

“The Hidden Psychological Heritage of the Industrial Revolution.” Big Think, 30 Sept. 2021, bigthink.com/the-present/the-hidden-psychological-heritage-of-the-industrial-revolution/#:~:text=Neuroticism%20was%2C%20on%20average%2C%2033,%2C%20worry%2C%20frustration%20and%20depression.&text=Conscientiousness%20was%2C%20on%20average%2C%2026,lower%20in%20former%20industrial%20areas.