Cars in the World: From a Socioeconomic Catastrophe to a Dignified Organization of Urban Spaces

Climate change is a real challenge that poses real risks to life on the planet. And we have long known how to control this problem: stop extracting coil, oil and gas. Unfortunately, despite the efforts of organizations and activists, and despite the many international events, conferences, discussions, and publications on the topic, and the scientific advances (which year after year provide new evidence of the gravity of this problem), climate change is proceeding at an accelerated pace due to capital-seeking actions that bring about changes in the chemical composi­tion of the atmosphere. As a result, we are witnessing a socioeconomic catastro­phe consisting of a series of interconnected environmental phenomena that are intensifying and occurring with increasing frequency (unprecedented extreme temperatures, mass extinction of species, melting of polar caps, category five hur­ricanes, etc.).

The cause of this crisis is greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, which are dis­tributed among five major sectors across the globe: 1) power generation (34%); 2) industrial production (24%); 3) agriculture and farming (22%); 4) transport (15%); and 5) household and commercial activities (6%). At first glance, it would seem that the transport sector does not account for the largest volume of greenhouse gas emissions. However, the significance of this particular indicator must be clarified. Not only does transport ensure our mobility and maintain the rhythm of everyday urban life - according to Sixth Assessment Report of the United Nations Intergov­ernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) (Minx et al., 2022), it also accounts for 60% of global oil consumption annually. Consequently, the transport sector is a priority for governments, economic entities, representatives of civil society and businesses that strive to ensure optimum living conditions on the planet, as rapidly rising demand accelerates the advance of the climate crisis and exacerbates prob­lems such as low air quality, heavy traffic, heatwaves, stress, depression, premature mortality, etc.

In sum, the socioeconomic catastrophe is caused by a combination of all fac­tors, and cities are of particular importance in this regard. According to the United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat), cities account for 78% of all energy consumption worldwide and 60% of all greenhouse gas emissions, even though they occupy less than 2% of the Earth’s surface (UN, 2020). The mobility sector is not a business as such until it is turned into a planned necessity by, among other things, organizing the urban space so as to create the illusion that personal transport is the best means of transportation. The human body has evolved to be resilient and efficient when moving and covering large distances, capable of controlling its own temperature by shedding excess heat through perspiration ; a healthy person can cover up to 30 kilometres per day (Fernando Guzman, 2021). The need has thus emerged to plan and maintain a rate of production that priori­tizes mobility in cities with road traffic, driven by the need to travel distances that cannot be covered by foot either due to time, convenience or safety constraints.

Creating an urban environment requires a break with nature and rejection of the concept of city as a space of social comfort; cities turn into structures aimed at extracting ever greater profits, continuously violating the biospheric boundar­ies of the environment (Diego Chimal, 2022). The starting point here is paving the streets, which prevents rainwater fr om being absorbed by and replenishing groundwater reserves, directly absorbing the heat of urban environments (Jhon Saxe Fernandez, 2023). As for maintenance of the urban environment, we observe the development of infrastructure intended to promote the use of automobiles in society, which, in combination with already existing facilities, such as highways, avenues, roads and peripheral streets, engenders new problems in the transport sector and exacerbates pollution caused by traffic, as the city becomes more hostile to pedestrians and cyclists.

On the other hand, the low cost of energy fr om petroleum (and its derivatives, such as gasoline used in cars) has led to intensified extraction, which itself dam­ages the environment. Consider the automobile industry: the production process is quite evidently efficient - as evidenced by the global capacity to produce, on aver­age, 260,000 new cars ready to hit urban streets daily (OICA, 2023). However, the associated environmental damage is huge: each car emits an average of 2.35-2.64 kg of carbon dioxide (CO2) per litre of gasoline consumed, which is equivalent to annual atmospheric emissions of 8 gigatons of carbon dioxide (Oxfam, 2019). This astonishing scale of daily car production and pollution associated with their use is due to three factors: the financial sector; the government; and the population - and a combination of their economic priorities. In reality, the economу of relatively poor countries, such as Mexico, is based on energy colonialism, which involves maintaining the operation of massively polluting enterprises that offer little finan­cial benefit but continue to operate because they ensure a stable and uninterrupted supply to the global market at affordable prices.

Additionally, most GHG emissions in Mexico are produced by the following sectors: road transport (26.2%); power generation (19%); oil and gas (12.1%); indus­trial production (17.3%); agriculture and farming (12%); land use (4.9%); waste dis­posal (4.6%); and household and commercial activities (3.9%) (Climatico, 2018). This data indicates that the transport sector is the largest polluter in Mexico, although the share of emissions is not uniform across the country: in the capital, Mexico City, private cars account for 71.69% of all emissions within the city (Cam­bio climatico. Las emisiones de la Ciudad de Mexico, 2018).

Pollution generated by cars affects public health, be it in the form of noise, heavy traffic, poor air quality, or traffic accidents. Problems caused by high levels of atmospheric pollution associated with the transport sector include asthma and the overall degradation of respiratory function, especially in children (La destruction de Mexico, 2009). In addition, these factors increase premature mortality, which substantially affects national GDP: there were 9000 recorded cases of premature death in 2014, costing the economy 45 billion Mexican pesos (approximately $2.2 billion) (SEMARNAT, 2019 г.). Moreover, according to National Institute of Statis­tics and Geography estimates, 12 people are killed in Mexico daily in traffic acci­dents (Gutierrez, 2023). Further, emissions from diesel vehicles lead to changes in the electrical activity of the heart, justifying the hypothesis that atmospheric pollution reduces the amount of available oxygen and triples cardiac stress during exercise. Other problems include damage to the ears, including deafness, and sleep disturbances caused by noise (Salud, 2024).

For these reasons, an alternative solution for adapting to climate change is gaining in popularity: the electrification of transport. However, there are two rea­sons why this alternative should be viewed with caution: first, it ignores the fact that carbon dioxide is produced through combustion because in this case it is not obvious, as electric vehicles do not have exhaust pipes that emit greenhouse gases. However, in most poor countries (i.e. in most countries in the world), charging sta­tions still work on fossil fuels (Healy Wehlen, 2014). The second and more important reason is associated with messianic hopes for the implementation of a simplistic technological solution that would not be designed to meet mobility demands but would rather take precedence over economic interests. Meanwhile, technological achievements are, contrary to expectations, often counterproductive, because they

further stimulate the need for long-distance travel, thereby increasing demand for the energy required for such trips.

In addition, the uneven distribution of carbon emissions generated by traffic negates the benefits and efficiency of public transit in cities such as Mexico City, wh ere public transportation is only used by 5% of the population, and up to 92% of residents use personal transport (Secretaria del Medio Ambiente en la CDMX, 2023). It has to do with the fact that belonging to a certain social class opens access to a particular type of consumption and, at the same time, represents a convenient unit of measurement of responsibility for environmental degradation depending on the person’s share in the overall energy consumption. The middle class, which has credit cards and a stable salary, eschews public transportation and succumbs to the desire to buy an automobile for everyday needs, which compounds the prob­lems we already know. The environmental catastrophe thus has deep political roots in the form of class divisions. This conclusion is supported by Oxfam data, which indicates that billionaires produce more carbon dioxide emissions in 90 minutes than the average person over a lifetime (Oxfam International, 2024).

Consequently, public transportation in its current form cannot solve the prob­lem caused by the need for mobility and eliminate its consequences by itself. Public transportation produces far less carbon dioxide emissions than private transport, but the environmental crisis calls for better alternatives. Of course, public transpor­tation in cities is a way to combat CO2 emissions through economic investments in infrastructure and subsidies that will allow public transportation to improve and effectively compete with private cars. This is exemplified by the Moscow Metro, which not only connects city districts through a perfectly planned transport net­work, but also remains affordable, uses advanced technologies, offers high-speed transit and continuous operation, and boasts traditional architecture, safety, clean­liness, visual attractiveness and the cultural heritage of the Soviet Union. There­fore, investments can ensure stable profits, increase connectivity within cities and contribute to meeting global goals and environmental standards by reducing stress for workers, thereby boosting GDP and reducing noise and air pollution levels.

That said, it is important to note that the problem of pollution nevertheless persists in developed countries, wh ere public transportation in cities is not only modern, but also clean, safe and dignified. This explains the success of the pro­gressive alternative of reorganizing spaces, or constructing “15-minute cities,” that could contribute to solving environmental problems through sustainability and the availability of the necessary amenities and leisure infrastructure within comfortable reach on foot or by bicycle. This would reduce the amount of carbon dioxide generated by combustion. Such European solutions have proven useful in other regions of the world, including Latin America. In countries like Mexico, such projects are called utopian. They involve revitalizing urban spaces; reducing the number of trips by private transport; organizing free sporting, cultural and recre­ational events; maintaining cleanliness and safety; holding workshops organized by the administration; reducing stress; increasing convenience for residence; and promoting physical activity, including in new formats, which would contribute to reducing gender-based violence and lowering the crime rate (Frida Sanchez, 2024).

To summarize, humankind needs to reduce energy consumption, reject the desire for wealth, build a new relationship with nature, transform cities by reorga­nizing the urban environment, align state interests with the needs of nature and climate commitments, encourage automobile-free living, and reaffirm our right to a clean environment.