The majority of Americans have the luxury of owning a car. A car of course, seems like a useful innovation. It gets you places quickly and efficently, and is easier than walking. Yet so many people drive cars that the roads get congested and clogged easily as the cars just idle in the road waiting for the traffic jam to loosen up. Car usage causes the enviroment to decline and an increase in air poulltion, it would be a great idea to lower car usage since it is so detrimental to the health of the enviroment and the health of the populace.

An advantage to reducing car usage is a more benifical enviroment and a better overall health standard. "Passenger cars are responsible for 12 percent of greenhouse gas emissions in Europe... and up to 50 percent in some ... areas in the United States." (Source 1). Personal cars directly contribute to greenhouse gas enissions and by cutting down personal car usage and encouraging the use of car pooling and public transportation we can decrease greenhouse gas emmmisions. Also walking and biking to your destination instead of driving helps encourage healthy living and habits as well as exercise.

Cars also cause poulltion and smog to hang over cities causing the air to be full of harmful chemicals, endagering peoples health and also causing a rise in asthma for the populace that lives inside the city. In places like Beijing,China smog and poulltion from cars cause the air to be so foggy and dirty that you cannot even see the sky. "Paris enforced a partial driving ban to clear the air of the global city."(Source 2). When Paris was accosted by the same problem they solved it by a temporary ban on driving to clear the air. Without so many people driving cars we wouldn't have these many issues with smog and it's effect on the enviroment. With less car usage smog and pollution would drop.

Driving not only creates an issue with air pollution but also with water pollution and the contamination of the earth. Cars run on gasoline, a fossil fuel. Which is brought up from underground by drilling into the earth. Fracking often has a negative effect on the earth, often causing oil spills into the ocean or earth. The effect of the oil spill is  pollution and mass death of wildlife in that area. By using alternative methods of transportation such as trains,buses,taxis,subways, walking and biking we reduce the amount of gas used and also the amount of car emmissons released into the air. Cars guzzle gasoline and this causes a huge need for fossil fuel, by using cars less we lessen the need for gasoline.

Many people agree with the statment  that without cars their lives are easier and less stressful due to the fact that they no longer have to worry about traffic jams and car crashes as well as any other dangerous event that can happen while driving. This excerpt from the third source, shows a man's reply to the event Day Without Cars that takes place in Bogota,Colombia once a year. "'It's a good opportunity to take away stress and lower air pollution,' said businessman Carlos Arturo Plaza."(Source 3). This excerpt only furthers my point that less car usage causes people to be more calm and less worried or stressed. "'When I had a car I was always tense. I'm much happier this way,' said Heidrun Walter" (Source 1). This quote from source 1 which discusses a suburb in Germany that is car-free. This blurb shows another example of someone who became happier without a car. Another advantage to reducing car usage is less stress.

Also to some people a car is just a backup for when public transportation falls through. "They organize their summer jobs and social life around where they can walk or take public transporation or car-pool with friends." (Source 4) By reducing uneeded car usage we cause a more effiecent society less dependent on cars and more dependent on better types of alternative transportation. "'A car is just a means of getting from A to B when BART [type of public transport] doesn't work.'" (Source 4). By improving public transport we reduce car usage which improves the enviroment and quality of life.

Less car usage will help the enviroment as well as lower stress. "Transportation is the second largest source of America's emmisons." (Source 4). By eliminating uneeded car usage and introducing more public transportation and alternate means of transport we will be eliminating one of the greatest causes of greenhouse gas emissions in America. The advantages of eliminating car usage is less pollution, healthier living and a less stressful life.    