Human Impact
Since the industrial revolution of the 18th and 19th centuries, human impact on the environment has been enormous. The burning of fossil fuels has polluted vast areas and significantly altered the atmosphere. Industrial technology has brought millions of people from rural areas into new towns and cities, and advances in mechanization have dramatically reduced the number of needed to work the land. The use of fertilizers and pesticides has increased agriculture production and fed the growing human population, but they have had dire effects. The consequences of these rapid changes could not be predicted. Now the science of ecology has made it possible to assess how human actions affect the environment, and to look for ways to reduce and repair the damage that is being done.