History:
While
the Industrial Revolution meant that more goods could be produced for human
consumption, it also meant that more pollution would be emitted into the sky
and more natural resources would have to be exploited in the production
process. Although pollution of major proportions has been a problem since the
centuries preceding the middle ages, it is worth noting that after World War
II, the type of pollution involved changed significantly with introduction of
nuclear weapons. The following timeline reflects on the history of pollution:
Graph
2.1 : History of
industrial pollution
In
February 1950, a discussion on problems of nuclear energy was held, where Einstein said that the idea of
national security through nuclear weapons was "a dangerous illusion."
He also said that "radioactive poisoning of the atmosphere and hence
annihilation of any life on earth has been brought within the range of
technical possibilities." The only way out of the situation, Einstein
said, is "a supra-national judicial and executive body" and "a
declaration of nations to collaborate loyally in the realization of such a
restricted world government." In 1952, with the
break out of ‘The Great Smog’, which had caused 6,000 deaths within
a year due to respiratory diseases, the Clean Air Acts of 1956 and 1968 were formulated. The
smog was formed due to burning of coal in production processes. The awareness
regarding the situation went on increasing around the 1970’s, but the problem
by then had taken a dangerous shape. Along with progress in production sectors
and industry, the temperature of the earth has also been increasing. But faulty
process designs and the greed for more production despite the environmental
hazard are still going on. Some countries have formulated laws and regulations
regarding the production process in order to ensure clean and safe environment,
but when it comes to implementation most of the countries have failed in
fulfilling their duties.
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