topic the problem of environmental pollution and climate change caused by industrial activities in the the united states of america

The process of industrialization has profoundly changed the face of society and the natural environment.. * My definition of industrialization 1s the industrial revolution was an increas

VIETNAM GENERAL CONFEDERATION OF LABOUR TON DUC

THANG UNIVERSITY FACULTY OF SOCIAL SCIENCES AND HUMANITIES

The United States of America

Lecturer: Dr Nguyen Van Hoang Student’s name: PHAN THI THUY TIEN

Student’s ID: 320H0101 Class: 20H30504 Year: 2020 - 2021

Ho Chi Minh City , 2021

Introduce:

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1 Industrialization concept:

* Industrialization 1s the process of transforming the economy from manual and outdated production to mechanical production with improved technology and technical skills The process of industrialization has profoundly changed the face

of society and the natural environment

* My definition of industrialization 1s the industrial revolution was an increase in production brought about the use of machines and characterized by the use of energy sources Although industrialization is not capitalism but it is connected to morden capitalism

* The main content of the process of industrialization in the world: modern technical equipment and technology and thus building a reasonable economic structure in all branches of the national economy The process of industrialization

in the world is associated with the scientific and technicalrevolution

2 What is environment?

¢ There are numerous definitions of environment but personally | think it could

be described as “Environment refers to a system of natural and artificial physical factors affecting the existence and development of human beings and creatures.”

Or “The environment is the totality of the natural, social and human ecological elements and the conditions which directly or indirectly affect the development and life and activities of human beings in any time.” *

« Environment components refer to physical constituent elements forming an integral part of the environment such as land, water, air, sound, light, organism and things in other physical forms.’

! Vietnam Environmental Protection Law, 2014

* Encyclopedia of Environment, 1994

3 Analysis

1 General:

The reason for me to choose the United States because of its size and interconnectedness, developments in the US economy are bound to have important effects across the globe It has the third largest population in the world (331 million) and its economy produces around one quarter of the world's wealth — about $21.7 trillion in goods and services in 2019 Income in 2019 was $68,703 per capita, one of the highest in the developed world Moreover, the US has the world’s single largest economy and home to many entrepreneurs and has created many iconic products which are highly sought after around the world, for example Apple and Facebook In addition, the US is among the most significant emitters of greenhouse gasses in the world In terms of both total and per capita emissions, it among the largest contributors.’ The climate policy of the United States has big influence on the world’ All of these things combined which obvious play a key role in environmental crisis

4 EPA, OA, US (2016-01-12)

> McGrath, Matt (20 October 2020) "US election 2020: What the results will mean for climate change"

“We are living on this

planet as if we have

2 The Impact of Industrialization:

US coal production (Cre: Wikipedia)

-From 1990 to 2015, carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions from fossil-fuel combustion attributed to commercial buildings and residential buildings increased 7.8 percent and 20.4 percent, respectively Emissions have been relatively flat since 2010 The majority of these emissions are indirect emissions from electricity generated off-site to power buildings The remainder are direct

® Mohanlall, 2018

emissions, primarily from on-site combustion fossil fuels for space heating and cooling, water heating, cooking, appliances, electronics, lighting and from leaks

of compounds used in refrigeration and air conditioning These household emissions can also come from Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) are released into the air through perfumery products, hair sprays, and room sprays

FIGURE t: Total CO, Emissions from the Commercial and Residential Sectors (2016)

Cooking, Appliances, Electronics, Lighting

F2%

Water Heating 15%

Water Heating

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*Oxher“ In both the commerdal and residential sector includes Items such as data servers, medical imaging equipment, ceiling fans, and

pool pumps which are categorized as “miscellaneous by EIA

Source: US Enongy information Administration, Anewal Energy Outlook 2018 (Washington, DC: U.S Department af Energy, 2018%,

"Gas 1q C.00/©look3/0eo

- Another emission come from growing and processing food for livestock especially beef Animal products have higher emissions than vegetables.’ There are two main reasons : farming process and land use change Cows and sheep have to digest food that most animals can not do as well like grass and tough plant material They produce methane via microbes in their stomachs as they digest their fibrous food, in a process a little called Enteric fermentation Methane is shorter-lived in the atmosphere than carbon dioxide but is more than

30 times as effective in trapping heat, making it a major greenhouse gas We can say it even worse than carbon dioxide

Global greenlhouse gas ermissions

Global warming potential over LOO years

se

7 Vox, 13/5/2020

- In the US roughly 40% of the food produce never get eaten every year Ÿ That is over 365 million pounds of each day While that is happening, about one in eight Americans still don’t have a steady supply of food to their tables As a society,

we toss far too much food and that is a huge contributes to global warming and climate change More specifically, food waste has been estimated to be

responsible for roughly 8% of annual global emissions It not only comes from all the energy needed to ship process and produce that ends up in the trash but also from rotting food creates potent methane fumes Food goes to waste on the farm, in transit, in processing plants, in restaurants and in homes Basically, we are trashing our planet to grow food that no one eats

- The term "fast fashion" refers to consumer trend throughout the year with many infamous cheap brands like Zara, H&M, Mango, Topshop, Garment factories produce at breakneck speed, and then companies order products in just 4 weeks They put them on sale at distribution stores with affordable prices A lot of people buy them and do not know what fast fashion are doing to the planet The fashion industry is responsible for 10% of global CO2 emissions each year, according to the Ellen MacArthur Foundation In 2015, textile production created more greenhouse gases than international flights and maritime shipping combined.’ The problems start where the clothes star, with the fabrics the clothes are made from For instance, to grow the cotton to make a jacket will have taken

10,330 liters of water which equal to 24 years of drinking water for one person.'°

We’re more likely to throw away cheap, trendy clothes than more expensive, timeless pieces According to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), 17 million tons of textile waste were generated in 2018, of which only 2.5 million tons were recycled Synthetic fabric are bad: polyester , nylon , spandex use

almost 342 million barrels of oil a year.'’ Another way we make fast fashion

8 NRDC

° The Guardian, Dec 29, 2018

‘© BBC three, Stacy Doodle investigates, Oct 8,2018

fabric called viscose is even worse About 33% of viscose in clothes comes from ancient or threatened forests and the process involves a huge amount of waste.’ -During the industrial revolution in the US, steamboats were used for travel and transport goods There were two main ways in which steamboats negatively affected the environment The first of these two ways being air pollution by released methane The second way was by destroying the ecosystems of the river banks

- Another more prominent intention during the industrial revolution that harmed the environment was the internal combustion engine which usually appears in cars They burning and oxidizing fuel harmful gases such as nitric oxide or carbon dioxide are released into the environment and destroy the earth’s atmosphere These particular gases are also known as greenhouse gases

2.1.2 Water pollution

2 Al Jazeera, earthrise, Jun 4,2019

- Water pollution is also a problem in these areas, specifically in regions where factories are built next to natural water sources These toxins can come in a variety of forms — solid, liquid or gaseous — and they can all end up

contaminating the local water supplies Even landfills and other waste disposal areas can leach toxins into the local water supply, leading to water pollution as in the case of River Nile When valleys are filled with debris produced by

mountaintop removal, headwaters can be buried, aquatic ecosystem are damaged and downstream water becomes heavily polluted Another thing is that to manufacture fabrics, processing, dying, finishing, companies have to use a lot of toxic chemicals which often times just get dumped in rivers near villages like the Citarum River in Indonesia where there are factories that H&M and Zara have worked with Millions of Indonesians have depend on life on the Citartum River but today the river is poisoning them Children live nearby are easy to get sick.”

- Offshore oil spills happen all the time Oil spills are gonna keep happening because the US is producing more oil than ever as the US is the world’s largest crude oil producer One of the biggest oil spills in US history is happening right now in the Gulf of Mexico The Taylor Energy oil spill has been quietly leaking

millions of barrels off Louisiana since 2004." Nearly 10,000 oil spills in the gulf

Of Mexico from 2010 to 2015 Oil in anoxic sediments is persistent; oil regularly contaminates Zooplankton and benthic invertebrates; fish are also contaminated, benthic communities

2.1.3 Soil contamination

Soil contamination is another problem that goes hand in hand with industrialization Lead is the most common form of soil contamination, but other heavy metals and toxic chemicals can also leach into the soil and, in turn, contaminate any crops that grow there Environmental impacts of mining activities also include erosion, soil collapse, loss of biodiversity, pollution of soil, groundwater and surface water due to chemicals from ore processing In some cases, nearby forests have been cut down for storage of mine waste or land use for livestock grazing used

a staggering 30% of the earth's landmass in 2006 and the food production

industry has only increased since then.'° Between 1871 and 1900, another

170,000 miles were added to the nation's growing railroad system Much

of the growth can be attributed to the building of the transcontinental railroads with government support These railroads were assured land on which to lay the tracks and land to sell, the proceeds of which helped companies finance the construction of their railroads These railways were destroyed countless rivers, mountains, canyons, and deserts which led to the pollution, overhunting, destruction of numerous ecosystems They also contributed to many natural wonders been destroyed and tons of gases being released in the atmosphere each year Roads during the industrial revolution affected the environment due to extensive work needed to create them In order to make the road the land needed to be cleared of bushes, trees, stumps, boulders and any other type of debris that may be in the workers way Naturally occurring resources were being destroyed, nothing was being done to replace them This led to the US lacking naturally occurring resources Machines use for road called jaw crushers burned fossil fuels and therefore polluted the environment

IL.1.4 Habitat destruction

15 A 212-page online report published by the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization

Finally, industrialization has led to dramatic habitat destruction of floral and fauna Forests are cut down for their lumber, and ecosystems are destroyed to create roads, strip mines and gravel pits Destroying these habitats upsets local ecosystems and leads to plant and animal extinction if the species are unable to relocate or adapt to their new surroundings Many animals have to suffer from plastic Today almost everything is at least made from plastic Our clothes, phones, computer, appliances, houses, cars, coffee cups, plastic bags or stuff to wrap fruits, etc We don’t think about this fact a lot Plastic just appears and goes away

Unfortunately, it doesn’t Because it’s everywhere, marine animals keep getting trapped in plastic and swallowing it Many animals starve with stomach full of indigetible trash There’s an even more widespread, invisible form of plastic - microplastics which human can accidentally eat them by eating the animal like fish which have eat microplastics As a result of climate change, many animals like polar bears now are on the verge of extinction because of food lacking and loss their habitat as a result of ice melting

Another issue is due to expanding road which wipe out many forests and trees,

1 x 2

many animals were hitting by cars and trains when trying to pass through the

road have been reported in the US

Percentage of Fatal Vehicle Collisions Ii

Source: Survey of 1,000 Americans

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