FACTORS AFFECTING ENVIRONMENT AND SOCIETY

Some of the main factors or by-products of rapid industrialization which has impacted our Environment and
society are:

1. Spurt in Population
2. Exploitation of Natural Resources
3. Forest degradation
4. Pollution
5. Rapid Urbanization
6. Global warming
7. Ozone depletion
8. Reduction in water resources etc.

The above factors are in a way by products of industrial revolution the consequences of which the human
population is still facing.

1. SPURT IN POPULATION

Spurt in population means that there has been a sudden increase in the human population and this is called
spurt in population or population explosion. Industrial Revolution brought about a spurt in the human population
since advances in medicine and health care facilities got better due to which death rate decreased. Also the
overall quality of living showed a vast improvement after the onset of industrial revolution.
The increase in population also gave way to a host of other problems like

• Exploitation of Natural resources

• Overcrowding of urban cities
• Increasing poverty
• Unemployment
• Stress on water resources etc.

All the above mentioned factors are inter-connected and by-products of industrialization in a way.

2.EXPLOITATION OF NATURAL RESOURCES

By exploitation of Natural resources, the industrial revolution brought about a great amount of stress on the
natural resources of the earth especially on the plant and animal species. In order to fulfill the basic
requirements of clean food, water and shelter, natural resources have been exploited and this exploitation
increased with increase in population wherein trees were cut down from forests to provide for wood for housing
and fuel. The lush green lands had to be cleared to make way for houses, agriculture and other related
industrial developments.
We need to conserve our natural resources so that the present and future generations can use the natural
resources to fulfill their basic needs like food, clothing and shelter. Hence the basic question which arises here
is what is to be sustained and for how long?
As one ponders over this issue, the answers but naturally point towards the magnitude and quality of natural
resources which are like:

• Reducing the dependence on fossil fuels

• Finding out more environment friendly renewable sources of energy and technologies.
• Reducing the use of plastic and plastic products.
• Encouraging Water conservation
and much more.
If we think over these issues further it is evident that certain natural resources like sunlight or wind are
renewable and are not in the danger of being depleted whereas others such as natural gas or trees need to be
conserved since they are not replaceable as fast as they are being used.
With rapid industrialization, exploitation also happened at a faster rates since earlier the tree used to be cut by
a saw i.e. to cut one tree, it took a lot of time to cut the same by a saw but with industrialization we have new
mechanized machines by which trees are being cut at a faster rate and this has led to deforestation and in turn
to exploitation of natural resources.

3.FOREST DEGRADATION

Forests are basically formed of trees, shrubs and other vegetation with closed shades. They are one of the
largest natural resources which are being used constantly to provide a range of facilities to mankind. They are
extremely important to mankind as it helps to clean the air we breathe, help to maintain the water clean, and
works as a natural habitat to numerous life forms, acts as a shelter to various animals, rare species of plants
and human beings. Forest degradation has been occurring on the earth for many centuries and presently the
need of the hour is to preserve and conserve the forests.
With Industrialization, there was an economic exploitation of poorer countries by the world’s industrialized
countries and this led to exploitation of forest resources either to pay the debts or to develop the industry.
Hence what are actually the causes of deforestation?
The reasons can be many, they are:

1. The slash and burn agricultural practice by landless indigenous people or tribals who cut the trees to
grow their crops was one of the main reasons for deforestation in many Countries across the World.
2. Further Mining, Industrial development and hydel projects are a significant cause of deforestation. Even
construction of dams across the rivers has opened up accessibility to forests and thus damaged their
ecosystem.
3. There are also various Government sponsored projects which aim at resettling landless farmers by
giving them forest areas. This led to reduction in the forest land and was used for habitation and other
purposes.
4. Cutting down of trees for commercial purposes like for sale of timber or pulp is also one of the major
causes of deforestation.
5. There is growing need for rubber, fruit trees and ornamental plants which has also led to forest
degradation.

The above activities have put the forests under tremendous pressure, due to which we are losing our forest
cover at a faster pace than never before.
Hence how forest degradation has adversely and directly damaged both the environment and the society can
be explained as follows:

1. With the absence of forest cover, there are lesser trees especially on the slopes due to which the soil
gets washed away during rains leading to soil erosion.
2. With forest degradation, there has been a reduction in rainfall considerably. Loss of rainfall affects the
agricultural productivity of farmers and also impacts on the climate of the region.
3. Forest degradation has also led to ecological imbalance wherein we are losing biodiversity at a faster
pace and many of the rare species of flora and fauna are in the danger of becoming extinct or have
become extinct.

Hence the question which arises here is what WE can do to reduce deforestation.
The first step should be planting of more and more trees, the amount of trees we are cutting needs to be
replaced by planting more trees, than only the equilibrium can be maintained and this
would lead to reduction in forest degradation in the long run.
Many of the villages especially in India and other less developed Nations use firewood for cooking food, this
needs to be discouraged and replaced with other sources of energy like biogas, solar energy etc.
Now we come to one of the most important factors or by-products of Industrial revolution which is Pollution. We
all know something about pollution but how severe is its impact on environment and society as a whole needs
to be understood in a broader perspective.

4.POLLUTION
This term is used quite frequently, a word which we keep on hearing in our everyday lives whether it is in
newspapers, television channels etc. What do you mean by pollution? Pollution in a general way implies the
addition of constituents to water, air and land which in turn adversely affects the natural quality of the
environment. In few cases, pollution also involves removal rather than addition of the constituents from
environment.
Environmental pollution is one of the most serious challenges being faced by mankind today. It can be mainly
in three forms air, water and soil. There has also been a rapid deterioration in the quality of all the three forms
with the advent of urban industrial technological revolution. The root cause of environmental pollution is the
exploitation of natural resources by man to fulfill his materialistic needs thus causing a threat to himself and
other species on the earth.
For example, India is industrially developing at a rapid speed with several industries like chemical, power,
nuclear energy, food, petroleum, pesticides, plastics etc. This has put a huge burden on the environment
leading to pollution from industrial effluences and emissions especially toxic gases which are spewed in the air
on a daily basis. Thus gradually the environment and the quality of air which we breathe has deteriorated to
such an extent that it has even crossed the critical limit and thus turning lethal for human beings.
Thus day by day our environment is being deteriorated to such an extent that we have even started crossing
the critical limit and the air we breathe has become lethal for our existence. For eg. Delhi is becoming one of
the most polluted cities in India followed by Bangalore and other cities.
Hence in general what we understand from the term pollution is that it is generally the waste which we bring to
the environment due to human activities. When these waste products are not adequately treated, decomposed
or removed by natural, biological or physical processes, this may accumulate and get converted to more toxic
substances which are called as pollutants. There are mainly two types of pollutants, one is biodegradable
pollutant and other is non-biodegradable pollutant. Bio-degradable pollutants are those which can be
decomposed easily in the environment by natural biological processes like for eg. sewage treatment plan,
organic wastes etc. Non-biodegradable pollutants do not easily degrade or degrade very slowly in their natural
environment like plastic, mercury etc.
Environmentally we can classify pollution mainly into three types like:

1. Air Pollution
2. Water Pollution
3. Soil or Land Pollution

The three types are explained as follows:

1. Air Pollution – Air pollution is basically a condition in which there is presence of foreign matter in the air
which adversely affects the well being of individuals or causes damage to property. This is considered to
be a major environmental hazard which mankind is

facing both in urban and rural areas causing respiratory and other problems leading to long term health issues.
We all have frequently seen images of smoke emitting from chimneys of factories, vehicular pollution, ash, dust
fumes etc. but what we often don’t realize is that indoor pollution is also risking the population at large
especially in the rural areas where women especially in India use wood fires for cooking food. Though this is
being gradually changed to bio-gas and other environment friendly methods there is still a long way to go.
Further the urban cities have noise pollution due to which there has been various court orders restricting the
use of loud speakers after a certain time especially which are used in political rallies, religious or cultural events
etc.
The effects of air pollution are multifarious since this causes irritation to eyes, throat and nose, irritation to the
respiratory tract, even smoking is injurious to the lungs and tobacco smoke is also harmful to people around
who inhale the smoke. Hence heavy smoke and dust storms may irritate our skin.
The concentration of Carbon dioxide is expected to be doubling in the coming years and this would increase
the atmospheric temperature of earth resulting in melting of glaciers, ice caps etc and thus changing the
pattern of rainfall and thus affecting the agricultural output.
Air pollution across the world has increased at an alarming rate and if appropriate measures are not taken
timely, this may lead to severe consequences for the human kind and other species as well.

2. Water Pollution –Without water there is no life, hence the purity of water is of major concern to mankind,
since it signifies a state of deviation from the pure conditions wherein its function and properties are
affected. We all know that more than 70 percent of the earth’s surface is water and hence is considered
to be one of the most valuable natural resources since 97 percent of it is salty and hence cannot be
used for drinking, around 2 percent is in glaciers and polar ice caps, thus leaving only 1 percent water
which can be used for drinking or direct consumption.

With spurt in human population and industrialization has resulted in polluting of all the water resources and thus
harmed the natural resource to such an extent that our ecosystems and unique species are becoming extinct
slowly or dying. This has grave effect on the society as a whole.
Water pollution comes in a variety of forms. The water which flows down from the river gets polluted due to
dumping of various types of wastes into it at various stages. This could be industrial waste, waste from the
sewage treatment plant, livestock waste, mining pollutants, bacterial pollution, pesticide pollution, thermal
pollution, radioactive waste etc. The major sources of water pollution are:

1. Waste from Sewage

2. Industrial discharge/effluents
3. Agricultural discharge etc.

1. Waste from Sewage – The waste from the sewage is mainly domestic waste like human excreta, paper,
detergents, soap, paper etc.

Domestic sewage is mainly the wastewater generated from the household activities like washing, cleaning,
bathing etc in which majority of the sewage is water and a miniscule percentage is solids.

1. Industrial discharge/effluents – The effluents which are an outcome of industrial operations are called as
industrial effluents. Industrial waste consists of various types of pollutants ranging from simple matter to
complex toxic substances. The nature and composition of industrial pollutants vary widely from industry
to industry.
2. Agricultural discharge – The wastewater from the Agricultural fields and animal

farms is called Agricultural discharge. This waste water is considerably rich in Nitrogen, Phospate, Organic
matter and Pesticides.
Hence each drop of water is precious so one needs to conserve, preserve and save water. One needs to
recharge groundwater by

• harvesting rainwater,
• reuse water wherever possible especially for activities like toilet flushing, landscape and irrigation etc.,
• prevent the dumping of waste into natural water resources.
• And thus protect forests to protect rivers, lakes, wells etc.
 3. SOIL OR LAND POLLUTION

The same activities had a major impact in contributing to soil or land pollution. This is mainly due to dumping of
waste, mining of mineral resources, poor agricultural practices and careless disposal of trash or waste.
The major land and soil pollutants are:

1. Urban waste – this mainly includes substances like plastics, paper, rubber, fibres, iron pieces,
household articles etc. These wastes are dumped in low lying areas causing soil pollution.
2. Industrial waste – common industrial effluents which cause soil pollution are like sugar factories, textile,
steel, paper etc. The toxic chemicals through soil and water enter into vegetables, fruits etc. and cause
some of the major diseases like cancer.
3. Agricultural waste – Pesticides like DDT, aldrin, chlordane, indane etc. are freely used in agriculture.
These residues are easily absorbed by soil particles which contaminate root crops.
4. Nuclear plant waste – Radio active waste from explosions of nuclear devices penetrate the soil and
accumulate there creating soil pollution.

Hence from the above it is clear that soil pollution is extremely harmful and our human race needs to take
various preventive measures so as to reduce soil pollution and thus provide a better future to the mankind.

Hence in a nutshell one can say that pollution is like a cancer which is being spread around and necessary
steps need to be taken on a preventive as well as futuristic manner to create a better and brighter future for the
mankind.

4.RAPID URBANIZATION

As you all know Industrial revolution brought with it its own side effects like with rapid urbanization the power
generation and energy consumption increased and these were very crucial factors for the economic
development of any Country. Today we have reached the peak of energy utilization like fossil fuel, oil and gas
utilization. These resources are finite and took millions of years to form and may get exhausted in a few
hundred years.
Why the above resources are called crucial factors because the major sectors of the economy depended on
availability of these energy resources. We know that economic growth coupled with rapid urbanization required
increased energy consumption and therefore the need of the hour is to meet the energy needs of all the urban
population.
We all know that the energy requirements of the urban population are much more when compared to the
energy consumption of the rural population. The energy demanding activities of the urban areas include:

1. Lighting of Residential and Commercial Buildings

2. Use of modern gadgets in everyday life
3. The waste generated is disposed using energy based techniques.
4. The pollution needs to be controlled using energy dependent technologies.

Thus the key issues which define the shape and future of energy in the urban areas include
Sustainability, Efficiency and Equity. Sustainability as you all know is the rate at which the energy is consumed
and how long we would be able to sustain the energy using available/renewable forms of energy. For this we
need to develop environment friendly technologies which are efficient and use natural sources of energy. The
energy thus developed needs to be used finitely and equally distributed amongst mankind.

6.GLOBAL WARMING
The term global warming refers to the continuous warming of the earth’s surface causing changes in the earth’s
atmosphere. At times the terms ‘Global warming’ and ‘Climate change’ are used simultaneously but both have
distinct meanings. Climate change is the outcome of Global warming while Global warming is the combined
result of manmade emissions of greenhouse gases and changes in the solar irradiance. Hence in a way global
warming can be defined as the overall warming trend of the earth’s atmosphere when the atmosphere
becomes saturated with excess greenhouse gases.
The causes are mainly divided, one is man-made causes and the other is natural causes. Man-made cause
mainly includes population explosion due to which there is an increased use of space, energy, food,
deforestation etc. which means increased use of transportation and hence more carbon emissions into the
atmosphere thus causing global warming. Further when fossil fuels are burned, they give rise to greenhouse
gases.

Effects of Global warming – The effects of global warming can be many and varied, however some of the
important effects are listed below.

1. Increase in the global surface temperature

2. Melting of glaciers
3. Bio diversity loss
4. Increase in the sea level
5. Incidence of extreme weather phenomenon
6. Increase in occurrence of forest fires
7. Acidification of oceans
8. Reduction in crop yields
9. Extinction of rare species
10. Ground water contamination especially in coastal areas etc.

Hence, from the above it is clear that Global warming is a burning issue and needs to be tackled efficiently to
ensure a good life for our future generation.
The next and the very important outcome of rapid industrialization is

7.OZONE DEPLETION

Ozone depletion is also one of the major by-products of Industrial revolution. The ozone layer is that part of the
atmosphere which is responsible for absorbing around 99 percent of the high frequency ultra violet rays of the
sun and thus shields us from UV radiation. Over the years it has been found that the ozone layer is being
depleted due to harmful effects on the environment by the human race. The decreasing concentration of Ozone
is thus increasing the exposure to UV radiation. Hence the consequences of ozone depletion are many. Some
of them are :

• Increased incidence of skin cancer

• Can cause breathing difficulties and throat irritation in man
• Direct exposure of UV rays of sun can cause cataracts in human beings
• Can alter flowering patterns and crops
• Can cause skin ageing at a faster rate
• DNA mutation
• Can cause leukemia, lung injury, lung cancer, visual impairment etc.

Hence what can we as individuals do reduce the depletion of Ozone layer?

• One should always try and use products labeled as ‘Ozone – friendly’.
 • The old CFCs which are being used in the refrigerators or air-conditioners need to be recycled and not
released in the atmosphere.
• The air conditioning units of vehicles need to be checked for leaks.
• Grow more trees and discourage deforestation
• Initiate more awareness about the issue so as to address the necessity of preserving the ozone layer,
etc.

From the above, it is amply clear that the future of ozone layer rests in our hands and a holistic view amongst
one and all is required to mitigate the problem in an holistic manner.

9.REDUCTION IN WATER RESOURCES

We all know that rapid industrialization gave us a better lifestyle and an exploding population. With this
exploding population, there was an increased use of water resources due to which there has been a gradual
reduction in the water resources.
It is also a known fact that 97.5 percent of the water on our planet is salt water and only 2.5 percent is fresh
water. Hence one needs to find out as to what are the major causes of shortage of water?
Few of the causes are as listed below,

• Spurt in population
• Changing lifestyles of mankind
• Extreme weather conditions such as floods, droughts, cyclones, landslides etc.
• Pollution of water bodies
• Risk to ecosystem
• Loss of biodiversity
• Forest degradation
• Depletion of aquatic life etc.

Hence what are the measures one needs to take to overcome the reduction of water resources. Some of the
best options available are,

• recharging the ground water by harvesting rain water,

• Re-use water wherever possible (toilet flushing, landscape irrigation etc.)
• Save water using drip irrigations and use of sprinklers for agricultural purposes
• Also prevent the flow of waste water to natural resources
• Construct check dams, reservoirs etc.
• Protect forests, rivers, lakes, wells, etc.

Thus we can summarize by saying that every drop of water is precious and we need to conserve water
efficiently by planting and growing more trees.

Bibliography:
Krishnan, S. (2015). Introduction to Sustainable Engineering, ……: PKC Publications