Jean Martin #11
Mrs. DeLeon
Science – Argumentative Essay
February 27, 2015
A Car-less World
In 2011 the number of vehicles on the roads worldwide reached over 1 billion, with the United States leading with over 239 million cars. It has been predicted that by 2050 over 2.1 billion cars will be on the roads. The issue of whether we should ban cars from major cities has been widely debated for year. My essay will argue with those in favor of banning cars from major cities because cars cause more problems than benefits. One major problem related to cars is pollution and its overall effect on the environment and our health. An additional issue connected to cars that affects the bigger cities and contributed to the poor air quality is traffic jams or traffic congestion. One serious issue associated to cars that affects the youth worldwide is road traffic accidents. It is important to identify the overall damages cars have on the environment and on our health in order to understand the reasons why we should ban cars from major cities.
The major problem with pollution comes directly from cars because motor vehicles are one of the largest sources of pollution worldwide. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) declared that 75% of carbon monoxide pollutions come from cars. The large volume of harmful, toxic carbon emissions produced by cars accounts for the first cause of global warming in the U.S. Additionally, these emissions are worse in big cities because the tall buildings and narrow spaces often hold the pollution in one spot that on really bad days, you can see the emissions in the form of smog lingering in the air. Moreover, air pollution emitted from cars is strongly related with respiratory diseases and can cause many health problems such as asthma, heart disease, birth defects, and cancer. People who work in the major cities are more likely to suffer from these health problems. Therefore, banning cars in major cities would not only cut pollution, it would also improve the air quality and our health.
Another problem connected to cars, especially in large cities is traffic jams or traffic congestion. Congested traffic is bad for our air because it can more than double the pollution released from slower moving traffic and the constant stop-and-go traffic burns more gas which pump more pollutants into the air. Not only does traffic congestion damage the environment but it also waste time, costs commuters more money, and has a huge impact on our lives. Poor health comes from stress and stress can result from traffic jams. Traffic jams put additional stress on a driver especially if they are running late for school, work, or an appointment that they become impatient and they are likely to drive more aggressively and this increases the danger to other drivers. Finding a solution to traffic congestion could mean a vast improvement in the quality of life. If we ban cars from major cities, there would be less traffic, reduced congestion, provide better air quality, cut down on stress and eliminate aggressive driving and lives would be saved.

For decades, car-filled streets, major cities such as Los Angeles can say good-bye to the automobile forever? I hope so.
Drivers who encounter unexpected traffic may be late for work or other appointments, causing a loss in productivity for businesses and in the drivers' personal lives. Traffic delays may also slow down the shipping of cargo if delivery trucks can't remain on schedule due to a congested route. Drivers who know that traffic congestion is likely may decide to forgo an activity altogether, leading to less consumer spending and lower event attendance.
Traffic congestion is damaging the environment.
Research suggests that the greatest rise in environmental temperature over the past 100 years parallels the rise of the automobile. This suggests that traffic congestion is damaging the environment. At the very least, it is damaging the breathable