The economic development from 1950-2000 affected the environment by the
increase in population, industrialization started, and the shortage of nonrenewable
energy sources. Pollution, industrialization, and nonrenewable energy sources had
important affects on the environment.
The most important issue that was worried about was the increase in
population. United Nation estimates suggested that the global population would
double to more than 10 billion by the middle of the 21st century. The areas where the
population would most likely increase are Africa, Asia, and Latin America. When
these country becomes too populated, it would put a big strain on their water, land,
energy, and other natural resources needed for survival. . The increase in population
means that more forest and rain forest will be destroyed to make more room for the
people to live. Destroying rain forests are bad because for example, the Amazon rain
forest alone produces 40% of the world’s oxygen. Another important issue was
industrialization
There are now a lot of industries around the world but even though there are so
many, it is a big burden to the environment. The air, ocean, and the art become
polluted by industrial waste product. The thin gaseous layer in the upper atmosphere
protects the earth from the dangerous ultraviolet rays of the sun. If the ozone layer is
destroyed, 200,000 people in the United States alone may die from diseases related to
ultraviolet radiation. The burning of gasoline and coal produces carbon dioxide that,
over time, has settled in a layer in the earth’s upper atmosphere. This creates a
situation know as greenhouse effect. The greenhouse effect is a situation in which an
excess of carbon dioxide in the earth’s upper atmosphere lets the sun’s rays through
but traps heat close to the earth’s surface. The scarcity of energy resources is also a big
problem.
Nonrenewable energy resources might run out. This might occur because of the
increase and demand in oil which is the basic necessity we all use. We use oil for
multiple proposes. Since industries use oil and coal a lot it will eventually pollute
everything and will cause acid rain which pollutes the stream where the fishes live and
once there are no fishes, it disrupts the balance of the food chain. Which means that
whoever eats the fishes will have nothing to eat and then pretty soon they will be come
extinct and this goes on and on.
These were some examples of how economic development can led to disasters for the
environment. There might be a smudge of a change that this will not happen, but, it is
pretty guaranteed that those things would happen. Especially is global warming is
already taking place.
History Essays
