How did the industrial revolution contribute to the changes in environmental quality that occurred
during the late 18th and 19th centuries?

Negatively

Explanation:

The Industrial Revolution contributed to the first mass scale pollution of the Earth's spheres by the humans. There was pollution prior to it as well, but it was nothing when compared with the period after it occurred. With the development of the industry, lot of waste was released into the waters, or on the soil, often being very toxic and causing severe contamination. The main energy source was the coal, and the coal that was used was releasing enormous amounts of carbon dioxide and sulfur dioxide into the atmosphere. The places that were located near industrial object, or had industrial objects in them faced enormous pollution of the air, which badly affected the health of the humans, animals, and plants. The first acidic rains caused by the human activity started to appear, causing big damage on the forests.