Cars are an integral part of many peoples' lives around the world: they provide transportation to work and home, they cater to social lives, and for some they even provide a home.

However, it's becoming a trend to limit car usage, particularly in Europe. Residents in Vauban, Germany have given up cars almost completely, with the exception of a $40,000 parking garage fee that over half of the residents have elected not to use.

While it may make getting places harder, the effects of cutting down on car usage are mostly good ones.

First and foremost on this list is global warming. In Europe, cars produce around twelve percent of greenhouse emmissions, while in the US, the number can be as high as fifty percent in cities. This is not good. Global warming is destroying the ice caps and the ozone layer of Earth, leading to a temperature increase that is damaging many enviornments around the world. This, in addition to pollution released by cars and the oil industry, could permanantly cripple our planet. Any way that we can cut the effects of global warming should be implemented.

Secondly, crowded cities benefit in many ways from a lessening of driving. Some cities, like Paris, have already had to enact a partial ban on driving due to a heavy smog layer. Other cities, like Beijing, is even more polluted, and cities in this country suffer as well. If less people drove, the air would be clearer, as was the case in Paris.

Also, there is less crowding when less people are driving. Anyone who has driven through or lived in a large city knows just how bad congestion and traffic jams can be. Less driving would mean less congestion, making it easier for people to get to work, school, or other locations on time. When Paris enacted its driving ban of those with even-numbered liscence plates, congestion went down sixty percent.

Finally, using an alternative to cars can save money. Public transportation could be expensive and, frankly, overcrowded, but it provi