What Are Industries Doing To Our Environment?

Sarah López
2018-0482
English 303-8
What are industries doing to our environment?
It is estimated that, in the United States alone, the industry generates about 3.63 million tons of
hazardous organic pollutants each year, and that only 10% of these pollutants are evacuated in an
ecologically acceptable manner. Everything we do in our lives, from the food we eat to the
electric power we use, affects the climate, but it wasn’t always that way. On the 1760 the
Industrial Revolution changed the way that we produced everything, from food and energy to
sanitation and manufacturing technologies. We consume what they produce daily but, we know
how industries are impacting our environment now days? And, what can be done in order to
minimize the negative impacts in our environment?
Industry is one of the principal causes of air pollution, the operation of factories results in the
emission of pollutants, including organic solvents, breathable particles, sulfur dioxide and
nitrogen oxides. These pollutants harm public health and damage the environment. Industries are
one of the biggest sources of water pollution, they produce pollutants that are toxic for all living
beings in the world, including humans. Many industrial facilities use freshwater to carry away
waste from the plant and into rivers, lakes and oceans; as a result most of the animals that live in
this water bodies die, and also, the polluted water directly contaminates the soil, generating more
damage to the environment.
But not everything is lost; there are sustainable companies which goal is to make a positive
impact on the environment and on society. In fact, there are measures that traditional companies
can apply in order to stop polluting and become sustainable too, such as: treat industrial waste to
remove toxic components so that the rest of the waste can be disposed of safely, Re-Design
chemical products and processes so they generate as little hazardous waste as possible, Re-
Design the product packaging to minimize the amount of material used and not only that, also
use recyclable and biodegradable material on their designs, Finally governments can implement
the carbon tax, that is a fee imposed on the burning of carbon-based fuels that will provide
economic incentives for entrepreneurs and technologists to adapt to a real obstacle, whether most
companies see the obstacle as important or not.
As we can see most of the industries nowadays have a huge negative contribution to the
environment, they are one of the biggest causes of air, water and soil pollution. But there’s hope,
because there are sustainable companies that are trying to affect in a positive way the
environment. Furthermore, where a problem is, there are always solutions, and this is not the
exception, companies can improve their production line in order to minimize the amount of
waste they generate. But here, that’s not the biggest problem, the biggest problem here is: are our
companies willing to protect the environment we all share?
References:
E. Newburger (2019); A carbon tax is ‘single most powerful’ way to combat climate change,
IMF says; CNBC.
https://www.cnbc.com/2019/10/10/carbon-tax-most-powerful-way-to-combat-climate-
change-imf.html
S. Parra (2012); Figures on water pollution; Xataka ciencia.

https://www.xatakaciencia.com/medio-ambiente/cifras-sobre-la-contaminacion-del-agua
E. Folk (2018); Environmental Impacts of Industrialization, Ecomena.

https://www.ecomena.org/environmental-impacts-of-industrialization/
Ministry of Environmental Protection (2012), Impact of Business and Industry on the

Environment, Sviva.gob.
http://www.sviva.gov.il/English/env_topics/IndustryAndBusinessLicensing/Pages/Environmenta
lImpactOfBusiness.aspx
A. Spiliakos (2018); WHAT DOES "SUSTAINABILITY" MEAN IN BUSINESS? Harbard

business school online.
https://online.hbs.edu/blog/post/what-is-sustainability-in-business
K. Amadeo(2019); Carbon Tax, Its Purpose, and How It Works; The balance.
https://www.thebalance.com/carbon-tax-definition-how-it-works-4158043
E. Kobayashi-Solomon (2019); Carbon Tax: The Ultimate Free Market Solution To Climate
Change; Forbes.
https://www.forbes.com/sites/erikkobayashisolomon/2019/01/25/a-carbon-tax-the-ultimate-free-
market-solution-climate-change/#48a545fa6bfb

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Sarah López

What are industries doing to our environment?

S. Parra (2012); Figures on water pollution; Xataka ciencia.

E. Folk (2018); Environmental Impacts of Industrialization, Ecomena.

Ministry of Environmental Protection (2012), Impact of Business and Industry on the

A. Spiliakos (2018); WHAT DOES "SUSTAINABILITY" MEAN IN BUSINESS? Harbard

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