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Industrial Revolution

In modern history the term Industrial Revolution refers to the process of societies transitioning from primarily relying on agriculture to more industrialized economies based on large-scale manufacturing.  The process of Industrialization began in Britain in the mid-1800's, and then spread to continental Europe, North America, Japan and gradually to other countries of the world.  

Industrialization destroys the ability for humans to live sustainably on Earth because products and services are not tied to what is necessary for people to survive on the planet long-term and allows populations to grow uncontrollably. This has resulted in even more people and has eventually led to today’s overpopulation of the world. As the world’s population gets larger the increase in the number of people worldwide grows faster.  By 1999, the world’s human population reached 6 billion, and by 2025 the human population on Earth has reach 8 billion.

The drawing below illustrates how Earth's human population gradually grew until a sharp increase of population started to occur into the Modern Era.

Over population and the resulting increase in natural resource consumption are the two greatest dangers to the health of the planet and ourselves.  As economic activity increases, natural resources are consumed and environmental impacts increase at a faster rate.  As the Demand for more products and services increases, so does the need to exploit more natural resources.  As readily available natural resources are depleted then resources are obtained from less developed world countries to make up the difference.  These undeveloped nations have industrialized at a slower rate, but are expanding their use of their natural resources to fuel economic growth.  As a result, the world’s human population keeps getting larger and environmental impacts keep increasing more rapidly on a global scale.

Carbon Dioxide Gas

Human activity since the Industrial Revolution, mainly extracting and burning fossil fuels (coal, oil, and natural gas), has resulted in an increase of Carbon Dioxide and other gases in Earth's sky.  Carbon dioxide in the sky warms the planet by trapping the sun's energy instead of allowing the sun's energy to return to outer space.  Since the onset of industrial revolution in the 18th century, human activities have raised atmospheric CO2 by 50% – meaning the amount of CO2 is now 150% of its value in the year 1750. This human-induced rise is greater than the natural increase observed at the end of the last ice age 20,000 years ago.  By looking back in time over the last 800,000 years, the amount of carbon dioxide in Earth's atmosphere has not increased beyond 300 parts per million (ppm) of CO2.  However after 1911, Earth's CO2 has steadily increased to the current level of 430 ppm and this dramatic change since 1911 has increased Earth's temperature.  Overall, Earth was about 2.65 degrees Fahrenheit (or about 1.47 degrees Celsius) warmer in 2024 than in the late 19th-century (1850-1900) preindustrial average. The 10 most recent years are the warmest on record.

Please Note:  It's important to understand that “parts per million” refers to the number of carbon dioxide molecules per million molecules of dry air. These measurements are from the layer of Earth's atmosphere that is 8 to 12 kilometers (about 5 to 7 miles) above the ground. This data provides insights into the significant rise in atmospheric CO2 concentrations, highlighting the impact of human activities on Earth's climate.

The graph below was copied from a US Government website into Paint on a Microsoft PC computer where the description and thermometer were added, shows how the steady increase in CO2 has resulted in an increase in Earth's temperature.

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