Why did we go from stuff that did not mess up the earth to stuff that messed up the earth and then back?

Question

Why did we go from stuff that did not mess up the earth to stuff that messed up the earth and then back.

Back in the 1800's they used wind power, and water power, then stopped and found something else but now where going back to that, why didnt we just stay with it and work on it over the 200 years

Answer 1

NOW WE;RE GOING BACK BECAUSE IT'S BETTER FOR THE ENVIROMENT BEFORE WE DIDN'T KNOW WHAT WOULD HAPPEN RROM MESSING UP THE EARTH NOW DO AND ARE TRYING TO FIX IT BEFORE OT'S TOO LATE

Answer 2

I think it all has to do with M-o-n-e-y.

Now we have seen the effects of the industrial revolution on the earth.  

That's why we are going back.

Answer 3

new technology uses more power and besides back then it was cheaper to use the oil

Answer 4

So you're saying that  they had wind turbines in the 1800s in the middle of th great stench of London. They had to close down a parliament session early because of it. Ya.. right... And I.m sure they had solar panels and anti - gravity rays too.

Answer 5

we envolved meaning we got a little bit smarter about things

Answer 6

The discovery of coal and it's wide range of applications quicky made it a solution that many poured money into and developed it. This took us away from the green solutions that we had already been using back then. Now we realize that the burning of coal is quickly taking us back to a Cretaceous period-type of environment when c02 was much more abundant in the atmosphere and the Earth was covered in more water than it is today. Then the big asteroid came, wiped out the dino's, huge clouds covered the planet, temperatures dropped, ice age arrived, bla bla bla.

Wind power, water power, solar power, heck even wind-up power solutions need to come back and be developed further to get us out of this Big Oil mess.

Answer 7

Progress in technology required more power than these sources could provide at the time. Greed created the need for the cheapest power source, and there is debate , even today, among scientists about what is really happening.

As third world countries use cheap energy to advance their technology, the silly green movement in the US will mean nothing.

US citizens make up about 3% of the world population, but consume more than 50% of the energy. Now that countries like China are becoming industrialized, we really have something to worry about. They have plans to bring hundreds of highly polluting coal powerplants online in the next few years. We have only a couple of dozen in the US - and it causes acid rain, ozone depletion, etc.

And then wait until the Chinese start buying cars ... imagine adding a billion gas guzzling, smog producing cars from the 1960's to the world over only a few years. You may not remember this, but when I was a kid, it was very common to have a headache when driving on the highway. New cars built for the US today poduce 1% of harmful emissions when compared to new cars in 1970.

We are very self centered to think that if we bring our own bags to the grocery store that we can change the environment.

The Earth will survive no matter what we do ... humans may not.

Answer 8

Because technology. It had to be discovered and got advertised more and more. People abuse the privilage of having what technology brings.

Answer 9

Its human nature you see ..

we learn only when we have messed up something

Answer 10

With the advent of plastics, 1940s-50s (Dupont?) we became a throw away society. When you have a throw away society you automatically have pollution, carcinogens, etc. People want things easier and easier so they don't have to do anything but play. What we have now is the cost of play.