Averting a Common Tragedy
In the recently held C40 Summit, the network of 40 international cities that meet to discuss ways to battle drastic climate change, 4 major cities pledged to completely ban the usage of diesel. Unlike in the United States where diesel usage is insignificant, these 4 cities – Paris, Madrid, Athens, and Mexico City – see a significantly higher usage of diesel fuel, since diesel burns fuel more efficiently than gasoline. Despite burning more efficiently, diesel does release more soot and nitrogen oxides, common greenhouse gases and atmospheric irritants, compared to gasoline, which studies have shown contribute to the deaths of more than 3 million people annually.
The prevalence of diesel fuel (and arguably the continuing resilience of the gasoline and oil industry) can be largely explained by the Tragedy of the Commons. In Europe, diesel and gasoline prices are more than 200% the prices offered in the United States. Decades of acting in one’s own interests by using the cheaper, but more harmful, diesel option has slowly but surely chipped away at the well-being of everyone on this planet. In class, we discussed ways to avert the Tragedy of the Commons: Letting the issue become so pressing that everyone bands together to solve the problem, or using government intervention in the form of either privatization or regulation. The C40 summit demonstrates the usage of governmental regulation as a solution to the widespread issue of pollution and global warming. This small victory is still only a small piece in a larger story – there is still a lot to be done before we can avert the larger, oncoming tragedy.
https://www.technologyreview.com/s/603026/four-huge-cities-are-banning-diesel-cars/?utm_campaign=internal&utm_medium=homepage&utm_source=top-stories_4&set=603022