Industrial estates have a lot of benefits to them. Having industrial units contained in one area keeps the aesthetics of housing areas much more appealing and also keeps a lot of traffic away from built up residential areas. Industrial estates keep HGVs to designated routes which are mostly dual carriageways and this minimise the threat to pedestrians of having such vehicles in higher populated areas. But despite the benefits of industrial estates, what risks do they present to the environment?
An industrial estate firstly has to be built and they are usually built on areas which were previously green. This immediately affects the environment and any wildlife which previously lived in the area. Industrial estates are also usually very large and so take up a lot of space. They can also expand over time eating further and further into the countryside.
One of the worst ways which an industrial estate affects the environment is through the carbon footprint it creates. Depending on the size of the estate, there are usually hundreds of HGVs travelling in and out of them each week creating huge amounts of carbon. In addition to this there are the hundreds or even thousands of employees who work on such estates who travel by car to and from the estate each day.
Then there is the pollution produced by the different types of businesses within an industrial estate. Not only can there be high carbon levels but there are very often other atmosphere damaging toxins which are released when goods are manufactured.
On the other hand though it might be argued that yes there is environmental damage caused by industrial estates, but it simply cannot be avoided. If instead of having designated industrial areas, industrial buildings were more spread out; traffic would not be reduced, and neither would the pollution and carbon which is produced. Thus the argument really comes down to whether it is preferable to have some control over the heavy traffic levels going to industrial estates or whether to have that traffic travelling all over the place.
An industrial estate firstly has to be built and they are usually built on areas which were previously green. This immediately affects the environment and any wildlife which previously lived in the area. Industrial estates are also usually very large and so take up a lot of space. They can also expand over time eating further and further into the countryside.
One of the worst ways which an industrial estate affects the environment is through the carbon footprint it creates. Depending on the size of the estate, there are usually hundreds of HGVs travelling in and out of them each week creating huge amounts of carbon. In addition to this there are the hundreds or even thousands of employees who work on such estates who travel by car to and from the estate each day.
Then there is the pollution produced by the different types of businesses within an industrial estate. Not only can there be high carbon levels but there are very often other atmosphere damaging toxins which are released when goods are manufactured.
On the other hand though it might be argued that yes there is environmental damage caused by industrial estates, but it simply cannot be avoided. If instead of having designated industrial areas, industrial buildings were more spread out; traffic would not be reduced, and neither would the pollution and carbon which is produced. Thus the argument really comes down to whether it is preferable to have some control over the heavy traffic levels going to industrial estates or whether to have that traffic travelling all over the place.
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See more information on Manchester industrial estate adn how the effect on the environment has been limited.
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