Connection Across Time- Global Environment

Our environment has become a major issue over the past few years. Everything seems to be "going green," whether its the water we drink, the clothes we buy, or the material we're using for our homes. Everything has become "eco-friendly." Some people may ask "But how did this all start." To answer that, we will have to take a trip back in time to the Industrial Revolution. First, however, a brief summary of what causes dangers to the global environment. Global warming and the greenhouse effect are both results of greenhouse gases. These greenhouses gases indirectly cause an increase in temperature, which in turn, is melting the worlds ice, increasing the water level, and receding the shorelines of the world. So how does all of this relate to the Industrial Revolution? If you take a moment to recall, the Industrial Revolution introduced the world to new inventions such as coal-powered steam engine, railways, combustion engines, etc. Unfortunately, at the time, the inventors of these tools knew nothing of their long term effects. The emissions of these technologies are what caused/is causing the greenhouse effect today. What once was a manufacturer's dream has now become an environmentalist's nightmare.