Heavy industry
Heavy industry is an industry that involves one or more characteristics such as large and heavy products; large and heavy equipment and facilities (such as heavy equipment, large machine tools, huge buildings and large-scale infrastructure); or complex or numerous processes. Because of those factors, heavy industry involves higher capital intensity than light industry does, and is also often more heavily cyclical in investment and employment.
Though important to
Types
Transportation and construction along with their upstream manufacturing supply businesses have been the bulk of heavy industry throughout the industrial age, along with some capital-intensive manufacturing. Traditional examples from the mid-19th century through the early 20th included
A typical heavy industry activity is the production of large systems, such as the construction of skyscrapers and large dams during the post–World War II era, and the manufacture/deployment of large rockets and giant wind turbines through the 21st century.[4]
As part of economic strategy
Many East Asian countries relied on heavy industry as key parts of their development strategies
In 20th-century communist states, the planning of the economy often focused on heavy industry as an area for large investments (at the expense of investing in the greater production of in-demand consumer goods), even to the extent of painful opportunity costs on the production–possibility frontier (classically, "lots of guns and not enough butter").[8] This was motivated by fears of failing to maintain military parity with foreign capitalist powers. For example, the Soviet Union's industrialization in the 1930s, with heavy industry as the favored emphasis, sought to bring its ability to produce trucks, tanks, artillery, aircraft, and warships up to a level that would make the country a great power. China under Mao Zedong pursued a similar strategy, eventually culminating in the Great Leap Forward of 1958–1960; an unsuccessful attempt to rapidly industrialize and collectivize, that led to the largest famine in human history, killing up to 50 million people, whilst simultaneously severely depleting the production of agricultural products and not increasing the output of usable-quality industrial goods.[9][10]
In zoning
Heavy industry is also sometimes a special designation in local zoning laws, allowing placement of industries with heavy impacts (on environment, infrastructure, and employment) with planning. For example, the zoning restrictions for landfills usually take into account the heavy truck traffic that will exert expensive wear on the roads leading to the landfill.[11]
Environmental impacts
Greenhouse gas emissions
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As of 2019[update], heavy industry emits about 22% of global greenhouse gas emissions: high temperature heat for heavy industry being about 10% of global emissions.[12] The steel industry alone was responsible for 7 to 9% of the global carbon dioxide emissions which is inherently related to the main production process via reduction of iron with coal.[13] In order to reduce these carbon dioxide emissions, carbon capture and utilization and carbon capture and storage technology is looked at. Heavy industry has the advantage of being a point source which is less energy-intensive to apply the latter technologies and results in a cheaper carbon capture compared to direct air capture.
Pollution
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Industrial activities such as the improper disposal of
In regards to water pollution, when waste is disposed of in the environment, it affects the quality of the available water supply which has a negative impact on the
Heavy metal concentrations resulting from water and/or soil pollution can become deadly once they pass certain thresholds, which lead to plant poisoning.[17] Heavy metals can further affect many levels of the ecosystem through bioaccumulation, because humans and many other animals rely on these plant species as sources of food. Plants can pick up these metals from the soil and begin the metal transfer to higher levels of the food chain, and eventually reaching humans.[18]
Regarding air pollution: long-term or short-term exposure of children to industry-based
Sacrifice zones
References
- ^ Gross, Samantha (2021-06-24). "The challenge of decarbonizing heavy industry". Brookings. Retrieved 2021-10-04.
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- ^ "Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, LTD. Global Website | the Dynamism of Turbochargers".
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- ^ Park, Jong H. "The East Asian Model of Economic Development and Developing Countries." Journal of Developing Societies 18.4 (2002): 330-53. Print.
- ^ Kumar, N. (2020). EAST ASIA'S PATHS TO INDUSTRIALIZATION AND PROSPERITY: LESSONS FOR INDIA AND OTHER LATE COMERS IN SOUTH ASIA.
- ISBN 978-0-691-11729-4.
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- ISBN 978-0-674-28670-2.
- ^
Naughton, Barry J. (2006-10-27). The Chinese Economy: Transitions and Growth. Cambridge, Mass: The MIT Press. ISBN 978-0-262-64064-0.
- JSTOR 1790321.
- ^ Roberts, David (2019-10-10). "This climate problem is bigger than cars and much harder to solve". Vox. Retrieved 2019-10-20.
- S2CID 210619173.
- ^ a b "Causes, Effects and Solutions to Industrial Pollution on Our Environment - Conserve Energy Future". www.conserve-energy-future.com. 13 June 2013. Retrieved 2021-11-25.
- ^ Impact of Soil Heavy Metal Pollution on Food Safety in China Zhang X, Zhong T, Liu L, Ouyang X (2015) Impact of Soil Heavy Metal Pollution on Food Safety in China. PLOS ONE 10(8): e0135182. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0135182
- ^ Folk |, Emily (2021-04-27). "The Environmental Impacts of Industrialization | EcoMENA". Retrieved 2021-11-25.
- PMID 32218329.
- S2CID 134318754.
- ^ Bergstra, A.D., Brunekreef, B. & Burdorf, A. The effect of industry-related air pollution on lung function and respiratory symptoms in school children. Environ Health 17, 30 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12940-018-0373-2
- S2CID 52178884. Retrieved 12 September 2022.
- ^ "How Can Factories Affect The Environment? | Field". 2018-10-12. Retrieved 2021-11-25.
- PMC 3114843.
- ^ Kane, Muriel (2012-07-20). "Chris Hedges: America's devastated 'sacrifice zones' are the future for all of us". www.rawstory.com. Retrieved 2019-09-16.
- ^ Neal Conan (2 August 2012). "Drive For Profit Wreaks 'Days Of Destruction'". NPR.org.
- ^ "Millions suffering in deadly pollution 'sacrifice zones', warns UN expert". the Guardian. 2022-03-10. Retrieved 2022-03-12.