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Environmental Regulation
We, as a society, have come a long ways since the days of shoebox telephones and dial-up Internet, but with great technology change comes a great deal of environmental regulation changes. Some of the new environmental regulations being set up are really in the best interest of the environment, especially in the automobile industry, and they will force people who are behind the times to step up and make some necessary changes. Some of these changes include heighten smog check testing, lowered car insurance rates for the carpool and bike-riding crowds and new, innovative "cash for clunkers"-esque websites. Stricter smog checks in order for automobiles to receive registration renewal are being enforced, causing people to purchase more fuel-efficient cars, which in turn reduces harmful emissions that failing autos put into the air. The car emissions transported into the air from failing automobiles are not only a health risk, but also damaging to the Earth's atmosphere. All cars on the road will have to pass even higher tests five years from now, making it even more pertinent that drivers either upgrade to more eco-friendly vehicles or get a much better bicycle.
Other changes in automobile regulations include the helpful lowering of car insurance to low mileage drivers. The incentive is based around the idea that if people drive less via carpooling, public transportation or bicycling, the need for fuel will be reduced, along with less air and noise pollution and fewer road accidents. The changes began in California, mostly due to the large number of cities without a heavy mode of public transportation, as opposed to cities like New York and Chicago. The laws are expected to expand into other states over time.
New "cash for clunkers"-type websites have become the new rave in early 2011. Many drivers were trading in their environmentally harmful autos for cash to buy new, fuel-efficient cars in 2009. Although the government's gimmick went out, innovative sites have come into the picture, with local car companies reaching out to the same audience to buy their "clunkers" online. This type of forward thinking is exactly what tough economic times are looking for. Of course, local companies will benefit from this in their own way; they are creating a much-needed service to the public that the government currently does not provide, helping to get some of these older, environmentally destructive cars off the road.
Many of the changes occurring in environmental regulation are built in order to have a safer environment, as well as to conserve energy. If enough people make changes to follow these, as well as other, regulations, they will directly benefit financially while contributing to a shift in how people treat the environment. Over time, there will be a majority of people making this shift based specifically on these regulations alone. Although people have a tendency to balk at laws, they remain necessary in order for the environment to keep up with the people living in it. In the long run, driving changes in regulations will benefit everybody, both financially and environmentally.
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