The tragedy of the commons is a problem where some individuals act according to their own self interest and against the common good (Friedl, 2016). These people try to get the most out of a resource without worrying about depleting it. As a result, other people end up suffering from such an activity. A good example of the tragedy of the commons is environmental pollution.
The world is full of people who pollute the environment as they try to reap their own individual benefits. The long run effect is that the entire world suffers from the pollution. Global warming is one of the outcomes of environmental pollution. The whole world is feeling the pressure and hardship of global warming. Many organizations are trying to work on sustaining the environment because they have been made aware of the dangers of global warming (Friedl, 2016).
Cars emit gases that are harmful to the environment (UCS, 2016). There are many people who own cars and use them on a daily basis. These cars pollute the environment by emitting gases to the air. People drive their cars everyday as they go to work and to attend to their other commitments. These people drive their cars on public roads and cause traffic jam. The presence of many cars on the roads creates traffic congestion that can only be alleviated if there were fewer cars. The people driving these cars are only interested in themselves and what they plan to do once they get to their destinations. The cars emit harmful gases in the air as they slowly move down the road. The cars idle on the roads as they wait for the road to clear so that they can move forward.
Traffic congestion is a daily occurrence, and every day plenty of harmful gases are released into the environment. The gases emitted by cars include nitrogen oxides; hydrocarbons; and carbon monoxide. In the year 2013, more than 50% of these gases that was emitted into the environment came from cars (UCS, 2016). Air pollution has a lot of risks towards the environment and human health. Air pollution caused by cars is considered a tragedy of the commons because the people using these cars benefit themselves while putting everyone at danger. Cars are not owned by everyone, and this makes them beneficial to only a few people. There are people who drive their cars to work on a daily basis. Their cars pollute the air every time they are used. It is worse when there is traffic congestion because the cars will emit more harmful gases to the environment.
The pollution of air by cars can be avoided by using different methods. Firstly, people can cut down on the number of times they use their cars. They can opt to use public vehicles because these vehicles carry many passengers and will emit a lower quantity of gas into the environment as compared to the option of every passenger driving his or her own car to work. Secondly, the drivers of these cars could use routes that are less direct so that they do not spend a lot of time on the public road due to congestion. Thirdly, the government could charge toll fees on the public roads so that many people may opt to use public vehicles and leave their cars at home so as to avoid incurring extra costs.
Scientists have dedicated themselves into research so that they can come up with methods that will improve cars and reduce the amount of gas emitted into the environment. A good example is the use of clean fuel and clean vehicle technologies (UCS, 2016). These technologies will help in reducing the amount of air pollution caused by cars. They will also help in reducing the amount of oil used in the US by half within two decades.
References
UCS, (2016). Cars, Trucks, and Air Pollution. Union of Concerned Scientists. Retrieved from: http://www.ucsusa.org/clean-vehicles/vehicles-air-pollution-and-human-health/cars-trucks-air-pollution#.VxTgxNR97IU
Friedl, S., (2016). Tragedy of the Commons. Study. Retrieved from: http://study.com/academy/lesson/tragedy-of-the-commons-theory-definition-examples.html
