How did coal affect the environment during the Industrial Revolution?

The reliance on huge amounts of coal as a fuel during the Industrial Revolution has had a serious effect on the environment. During the early decades of the Industrial Revolution, the main concerns were pollution from the smoke and smog that the coal-fired furnaces created.

When was coal first used in Britain?

Railways spread across the nation. Then, in 1882, Holborn viaduct power station, the world’s first coal-fired power plant, began to generate electricity for public use in London. Other cities followed suit. Coal was beginning to embed itself in the fabric of British life.

How many tons of coal were mined in the 1700s?

In the early 1700s around 3 million tons of coal were mined per year. By the 1830s, that had rocketed to over 30 million tons. (Source: A Short History of the British Industrial Revolution, 2018.) The Newcomen steam engine was invented by Thomas Newcomen in 1712. The engine was commonly found in coal mines across Britain and Europe in the 1700s.

When was coal used in ancient Rome?

Coal was burned in hearths and fireplaces in Roman times but it was not fully exploited until the 18th century, when improvements to the technology of steam engines saw them replace waterwheels, windmills and horses as the nation’s main providers of power.