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The Burden Of History

Decent Essays

In this paper, I will be outlining the costs and benefits of social and technological fixes, and then I will be assessing the use of social and technological fixes of air pollution through the use of automobiles.
Annotated Bibliography
1. Kirsch, D. A. “The Burden of History: Expectations Past and Imperfect.” The Electric Vehicle and the Burden of History. New Brunswick, NJ: Rutgers U, 2000. 195-208. Print. Chapter 6, “The Burden of History: Expectations Past and Imperfect” from Kirsch’s book, The Electric Vehicle and the Burden of History, focuses on the problem of automobiles in the modern day. Kirsch states that internal combustion engines release greenhouse gasses, which harm the environment. Each individual contributes to air pollution …show more content…

Although many countries have developed technological solutions, such as low-sulphur fuels, three-way catalytic converters, and unleaded petroleum, Moriarty and Honnery argue otherwise. Moriarty and Honnery claim that finding a technological solution for automobile pollution is not possible. Instead, the human population will have to find alternative transportation solutions. They state that the public will have to make sociological alterations, such as walking or cycling to places, or in some cases, using more energy-efficient public transportation modes, as they will benefit the atmosphere more than technological fixes …show more content…

Emissions are seen as technological issues because the vehicle emits a lot of hazardous substances into the environment. However, constantly traveling or using an inefficient mode of transportation is seen as a social issue. In order to stimulate both social and technological fixes, the approach of Strategic Niche Management (SNM) was introduced, which consists of various experiments. Several experiments are conducted where both, social and technological solutions are applied to distinguish how they impact the environment and how individuals feel about the required changes in their

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