4.1: introduction to industry

defining industry

• industry: the manufacturing of goods in a factory; persistence in creating value
• industry is heavily intertwined with the advancement of technology and energy

the industrial revolution

• a “series of improvements in industrial technology that transformed the process of manufacturing goods”
• before the industrial revolution, industry varied by area
  • homemade agricultural tools etc. were made through the cottage industry system (individuals producing goods and performing services at home for their own subsistence)
• invention was the key to the industrial revolution and its success
  • most important — steam engine (steam power)
  • created need for singular power source, led to increased productivity and improved standards of living
  • main cause of population growth in the second stage of the Demographic Transition Model
• the “industrial revolution” is a misleading name
  • it was a revolution socially, economically, and politically as well
  • gradual innovation over decades rather than a single major advance
• the first industries impacted by the industrial revolution were those surrounding the extraction and development of iron/iron tools
  • production shifted to utilizing steam engine power
• transportation canals and railways for factories → improved infrastructure
  • brought in more workers and raw materials at faster rates
  • could export finished goods to consumers more efficiently
  • greatly improved economy
• the textile industry was also significantly impacted by the industrial revolution as it made the shift from the cottage industry (textile production in the home) to a factory system (mass producing clothing)
  • chemicals were also introduced as a major means of bleaching/dyeing cloth
• the food industry also saw changes, mainly through the introduction of canned food production

fossil fuels

• low cost energy, widely accessible for manufacturing
  • developed as extremely useful for factories, food production, home comfort, and transportation/infrastructure
  • developing use for improving living conditions
• animate power was replaced by biomass fuel which was replaced by fossil fuel
  • 5/6ths of the world energy (as of 2020) is/was supplied by coal, petroleum (oil), and natural gas
• fossil fuels are nonrenewable, so we need to transition to sustainable sourcing to continue operations currently powered by fossil fuels

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