In this Age of Information, Industrialization still makes its presence and power felt. Its effects are widespread and worldwide spanning the entire gamut: from the Amazon rain forests of Brazil and the devastating effects of Deforestation to the destruction of natural land in favor of construction of high rise apartment buildings in Singapore, Korea, America, Europe and the rest of the planet. The addition of high rise buildings in the residential and business sectors of our cities and for the most part rural areas around the world are not always welcomed as a popular option to some, but in the end they are a necessity in these times s the population continues to grow. Looking out of my window here in Paju-City, South Korea I can see the effects of industrialization as a once majestic mountain is slowly leveled over a three month period to make way for a new high-rise apartment complex. In my mind I ponder whether it’s really worth it? After all people come first before animal’s right? Before you respond, really think about your answer, we weren’t here first the animals were (like that matters) So our presence is and continues to be recognized as secondary at best. Now with that being said what measures should we take to ensure that the environment doesn’t deteriorate while the human race continues its march across this planet. That is the issue and central argument of this discussion, so what are the pros of Industrialization in modern society? Well, for starters building more stores, apartment buildings, commercial hi-rises, paving roads and providing basic necessities like medical facilities, public transportation and entertainment centers attracts more people to a specific locale which in turn creates and attracts more business partners who see a profit and count everything else including environmental concerns as secondary at the expense of wildlife, well-being and access to a more peaceful existence via nature hikes and etc.. The focus from that point then turns to finances, the economy and economics of things and in doing so of course the economy grows which leads to higher demand for more services all while the population continues to grow at an exponential rate. For those still developing countries such a boon in Industrialization could move them from third world to first class status in a matter of decades.

In fact we are seeing this progress take place on a massive scale in countries such as India, South Korea and Japan and I'm sure that other countries are prospering from Industrialization as well. This is all well and good for those societies but the question that we must pose is this, what about the cons of Industrialization? You can’t look at the Pros without also examining the cons, it’s like Yin and Yang.

First, many species of animals are close to or are extinct because their habitats are being destroyed, for the animals that choose to remain despite the presence of humans, they are now viewed as a threat, instead of the originals residents that were the original residents before their habitat was destroyed, now they are being treated as invaders with and in most cases killed on sight, an example of this is taking place in the mountains of California where humans and mountain lions are at odds with one another, human encroachment and the advent of Industrialization has resulted in a dangerous mix of human and animal interaction that has led to fatalities on both sides of the coin.

Secondly, businesses use up the environment's natural resources in order to create their products, the waste that flows from these establishments pollutes the streams, rivers and oceans of the world killing countless varieties of wildlife, the destruction this visits upon the ecological mainstream, though undocumented will and has had a devastating effect on the wildlife in the area that it effects. In some pockets this also has the potential to taint our water supply, think about the children, obviously

Corporations that dump those toxic materials into our rivers and streams around the world could care less.

Thirdly, because of Industrialization resources such as land to grow our food are becoming increasingly scarce and so we are forced to find new and innovative methods in raising livestock and growing our crops, for the most part space to do so is becoming more and more limited to the point where high rise buildings spanning more than 100 floors will house livestock as well as provide our vegetables. Think about that? The future of agriculture and housing and those who eat meat will bear witness to not only livestock housing but also agriculture which will focus on alternative resources and methods since land is now at a premium. An example of this is taking place right now on the top of Singapore's high-rise developments and as far away as Europe.

Lastly, because of Industrialization it could be argued that the pollution being generated from the factories and work plants in the form of gases and fumes is heating up the environment and causing irreparable damage to the ozone layer;if this is the case then we are slowly but surely destroying our planet and Industrialization would be the main culprit.

In conclusion, Industrialization has its place in this world; in order for societies to grow and thrive there must progress and with the new technologies at hand construction crews are constructing mega-skyscrapers capable of housing hundreds of thousands of people. While this is good for the economy, in the end not only nature but the human condition suffers. This is important on so many levels. One only need to look at what is happening in the Amazon to see the devastating effects that Industrialization is visiting upon on that part of the world. The majority of our oxygen culminates from the trees and more importantly they serve to filter out the impurities that would cause us harm, their utter destruction is causing the very air that we breathe to be less than healthy, what the future holds is impossible to foresee but if we continue down this path the consequences would are less than favorable for our long term existence….. I am curious to know what your perspective is about this subject