Here are a List of reasons why sugar profits rested on the exploitation of environment and people:
- Land use
- Labor exploitation
- Environmental degradation
- Power
Land use: Sugar production required a lot of land to grow the crops necessary for making sugar.
Labor exploitation: Sugar production Austria lied on the exploitation of enslaved and indentured labor. African slaves were forcibly brought to the Americas to work on sugar plantations.
Workers were often subjected to brutal working conditions that included;
- long hours
- low pay
- physical punishment.
Environmental degradation: Sugar production caused significant environmental degradation. This included soil depletion, deforestation, and pollution from fertilizers and pesticides. (Environmental exploitation)
Power: European colonial powers, particularly the British, established a monopoly over the sugar trade controlling prices in markets. This allowed them to reap enormous profits.