Environmental sustainability is saving natural resources to finish, and to conserve
worldwide environments. A lot of harm is happening to the Earth due to the pollution
and depletion of natural resources, by the past years, in which industries have played a
big role. According to field.org.uk, it is been said that 2/3 of the pollution is been made
by industries which leads to climate change (How Can Factories Affect The
Environment?, 2018). Indeed, that’s a big portion and for sustaining the environment
we need to make sure that these industries have a minimal impact on environment as it
the end it is us who have the responsibility to save the environment.
First of all, we need to look about the types of pollution and how is it caused, to look
into the possible solutions. Industries are accountable for a big impact on environment
in many ways. It causes air pollution so much that it is said according to a survey in 2019
that 23% of air pollution in US alone comes from industries (Sources of Greenhouse Gas
Emissions, 2019).Air pollution is caused by industries as during manufacturing processes
and other processes, a large amount of carbon monoxide, hydrocarbons, organic
compounds, and chemicals are released into the air, thereby depleting the quality of air.
Industries also lead to water pollution as they discharge toxicants including radioactive
material, contaminated water, dangerous chemicals and heavy metals. This has further
led to mass killing of fish species in water and causing diseases in them which can
transfer to humans when they eat the affected fish. This water pollution has also led to
water wastage as fresh water streams including rivers and lakes have become
contaminated due to industrialization. It is said that in US alone 244 million people’s
water contain contaminants that can be linked back to industrial practices (Jasmine
Spearing-Bowen, 2017) . An example is when the water level of sacred Hindu lake in
Katas Raj Temple, Pakistan was lessened due to the pumps of cement industries near it.
However, the Supreme Court of Pakistan looked into the matter and the cement
industry was fined and the industry also placed a tube well to the lake. (Bhatti, 2018)
Many industries especially of mining and quarrying have a huge hand towards land
pollution. For example, mining industries cause physical landscape damage and their
mining operation create sediment containing heavy metals which are not biodegradable
that leads to soil being contaminated (Somarin, 2014) . Mostly, industries release waste
including heavy metals into landfills. Companies like of agrochemicals also release
hazardous waste as their by-product which damages the soil. (Sources of soil pollution,
n.d.)
Industries also lead to depletion of natural resources. Depletion of natural resources is
when natural resources are consumed at a faster rate. It is said that large-scale mineral
and oil exploration programs increased after the 1760 industrial revolution. The
increased exploration of minerals has also led to some of the minerals’ production
decline. For example, the production of Gasoline, Copper and Zinc minerals is estimated
to decline in next 20 years. Water is also being finished and one of the reasons is that
most of the industries like food processing units use water for making their products (it
is said by WHO that by 2025, 1.8 billion people would have no water to drink). (The
needs of 7 billion people, n.d.) Industries really need to save the natural resources as
fossil fuels account for 90% of the world’s energy consumption and without these
resources we will see a big chaos. (WWF Editorial Board, n.d.)
Like on human race, industrial growth has negative effect on animal species too. Since
past 500 years, many animals have gone extinct due to humans. Some of the example of
such species is Dodo bird and Labrador Duck. Many scientists have blamed the Industrial
Revolution as one of the reasons of the massive extinction of animal species. Due to
demand for lumber and expanding factories, forests were to be cut, by which many
animal species lost their homeland (Carrey & Palumbi, 2015). Industries have also led to
increased ship transport and hence, number of oil spills have also increased. It is said
that about 500,000 birds die each year due to oil spills (Lederer, 2015). There are also
about 6.3 billion tons of carbon dioxide released by industries into the environment, as
of 2011. Many animals such as aquatic life cannot withstand this amount of pollution,
thus they die (Reed, 2019).
We as being the superior specie on Earth really need to sort out ways for industries that
they have minimum impact on environment sustainability. We also cannot close down
industries as they are necessary for human survival. They provide us with many
important things like food products and as in 2019, 1.7 billion people were employed in
industrial sector. However, by many ways, we can make sure that they have minimal
impact on environmental sustainability.
The effect of industries on air pollution should be reduced as soon as possible because
air pollution has a great effect on mortality rate. According to a research done in 72
developing countries between 2010 and 2017 it is shown that 10% increase in
particulate matter induces the adult mortality rate to increase between 0.04% to 0.06%
(Ahmed, Ismail, Siddique, & Mazlan, 2020). Industries can arrange a bus for their
employees so they do not have to come in separate vehicles which will emit more toxic
gases. Another way to reduce the effect on air by industries is by using air pollution
control technologies like the technique of biofiltration. It is a recent air pollution control
technology in which inorganic toxic gases of the industry is passed through a biologically
active material. After the process, clean gases are released into the air. Biofiltration also
have fewer operating costs and is successfully applied in Germany and The Netherlands.
(Leson & Winner, 2012)
The effect of industries on water should also be made minimal. Many fishes and aquatic
animals die due to the toxic and harmful chemicals released by the industries into the
water. The industries should clean the groundwater they have polluted by methods like
‘pump and treat method’, in which groundwater is pumped to the surface and is
cleaned by tactics like air stripping and activated carbon filtering. Industries should also
reduce or completely eliminate the toxic materials in their processes. Water treatment
plants like ‘Pilot Water Treatment Plants’ could be used by the industries which purify
the water using methods like reverse osmosis, ultrafiltration, membrane distillation and
forward osmosis.
Industries are also a major reason to land pollution and are causing a huge damage to
the physical landscape of the earth. Industries should chemically treat the solid waste,
with methods such as acid-base neutralization, before dumping it into landfills.
Industries should also consider a waste exchange as waste for one industry can be
useful for the other. The number of packaging in the industry could also be limited by
which less plastic waste will have to be disposed. Waste management businesses could
also be hired which manage the industrial waste in effective and responsible manner.
Industries like mining industries should also replenish the land, once they have carried
out their work. They could grow grass and restore the pH of the land by neutralization
method. (Top 10 Ways to Make Mines More Environmentally Friendly, 2014).
The effect of industries towards depletion of natural resources should also be reduced,
as soon as possible. Industries should use solar panels for energy in their plant. By this,
there would be less demand for fossil fuels. Industries should also conserve energy, as
much as possible by using energy efficient machinery (USA has also made obligatory
under the Energy Policy Act to sell and use high-efficiency motors from October 24,
1997). (Nakatani, 2004) Industries should also conserve as much water as they can by
recycling it, installing water saving equipment and using minimal water in cleaning.
The consequences of industries on animal species should also be decreased urgently.
For that, first industries will have to make sure that they cause as much low
deforestation as they can, because deforestation later leads to animal killing. Industries
could go green by reducing the paper use in the work and this has been made easier by
the technology (for example, to update employees’ businesses could email them rather
than sending letters). Shipping industries should also make sure that their ships’ engine
bolts are tightened, and their overflows are avoided so oil spills are prevented.
(Drakopulos, 2021) Food industry which use animals as a source of meal should at least
provide good and comfortable space to them. They should also use less cruel slaughter
methods, just like, Subway changed its chicken welfare policy and started using less
cruel slaughter methods. The coffee giant Starbucks, also did the same by providing
chickens more space and using less cruel slaughter methods. (The Human League
Editorial Board, 2020)
Adding to it, Pakistan is also a victim of industrial pollution, especially the industrial
cities like Lahore and Karachi. Pakistan is also ranked fifth in the list of countries which
are most vulnerable to climate change. There are many industries in Pakistan which
releases toxic chemicals and gases, so the environment is damaged. There is smog in
Lahore which is caused due to these industries and mostly Lahore is in top 5 polluted
cities all over the year. However, Pakistan has paid attention to this issue and several
policies, acts and public sector initiatives have taken place. The brick kilns which are not
on modern lines are also closed. A department named NEECA (National Energy
Efficiency and Conservation) was also made to counter the growing industrial pollution.
(Sustaining the Environmental Momentum, 2020)
In the nutshell, it is a grave emergency to make sure that the industries have a minimum
impact on the environmental sustainability. Industries lead to much of the pollution in
the environment and it should be dealt with as soon as possible. The industrialists and
the government, both should take action in this case. Industrialists should try to make
their industry on modern and sustainable lines so environment is affected the least.
Whereas, the government should pass new laws and acts so the industries in their
country become more sustainable and the country overall become eco-friendly.
Denmark is an example in this case as it has an EPI score of 82.5, making it the most
environment friendly country in the world.
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