ABSTRACT
An important factor that is at least correlated, if not the causal effect of the Industrial Revolution is the switching of renewable energy sources-water, draught animals, wind, wood, and human power-for nonrenewable energy of coal and oil. As a consequence of the first two laws of thermodynamics the production of desirable goods always results in jointly produced undesirable polluting by-products. Burning fossil fuels to power economic growth increased the amount of unavailable energy (entropy) and waste in an irreversible process. The use of other resources, such as chorofluorocarbons as refrigerants and propellants, opened a hole in the ozone layer and increased the risk of skin cancer from ultraviolet radiation. The agreement to rapidly phase out CFCs was possible with the use of side-payments between countries.
