With the proliferation of the number of cars, it has sparked a heated debate whether car-free days may be the best remedy to cut down on air pollution or if there are alternative approaches that are more effective. Although both thoughts hold merit, my personal opinion expresses a stronger alignment with the latter perspective.
On the one hand, the advocates of this policy believe that designated car-free days can be the best means to reduce the level of air pollution for many reasons. First and foremost, it is irrefutable that exhaust gas emitted by private transport is directly linked to the increase in the Earth’s temperature at an alarming level. Subsequently, the global warming which happens would be harmful to both humankind and organisms. Furthermore, the absence of cars fosters the utilization of public transport like trains or buses, which releases less car smoke compared to other vehicles. Undoubtedly, reducing the number of cars on the road can significantly address the problem.
On the other hand, the critics of the notion indicate that there are various workable solutions which are more effective. There is no denying that exhaust gas from cars is only one of the causes of air pollution and the main cause for this phenomenon is industrialization. These could range from mining minerals to having industrial plants. This comes down to the fact that an optimal approach to tackle this is for the government to impose strict laws about the level of emission. To illustrate, as part of a scheme to become the most modernized, Beijing has converted into the most polluted city in the world where residents had to suffer from air pollution at alarming rates in 2013. As a result, heavy fines conducted led to the decrease of air pollution.
To sum up, although both views certainly have some validity, it seems to me that if there is only one way being implemented, it will not be enough; so alternative methods would be more effectively tackle the problem.