Temporal Trends in Environmental Contamination

The fierce rate of social and economic development in the Northern Hemisphere during the 20th century has resulted from the development of “advanced” industrial processes. With the spread of industrial activity and increased diversification, a steady escalation in large-scale pollution events, mainly localised in North America and Europe, began to occur. During the 1st half of the 20th century, the environmental impacts of anthropogenic activities were largely unknown, and little or no consideration was given to the short- or long-term effects on the natural environment.