Since the birth of the automobile in 1866, most of humanity has relied heavily on this form of transportation, especially in the United States. According to the California DMV there are 24,290,288 licensed drivers in California (DMV, 2013), or approximately 63.3% of the population. Since the invention of the automobile, gas emissions into the atmosphere have become one of the major problems facing humanity. In Garret Hardin's essay, The Tragedy of the Commons, Hardin defines the common as a resource accessible to all in society. In this sense, clean air has become a modern common good. Air quality is particularly poor in California where there are 31,388,901 registered vehicles for a population of 37,826,160. In 2012, air quality hit an all-time low in California's Central Valley. If we continue to ignore the problem of air pollution, we will seriously endanger our health as current health effects related to air pollution already include lung disease and cancer. Solutions to the problem of smog pollution include the development of cleaner-emitting engines, as part of a technical solution, as well as raising awareness among Central Valley residents. In his 1968 essay, The Tragedy of the Commons, Garret Hardin addresses the problem with overpopulation and its eventual toll on our planet's resources in a scenario where individual interest clashes with collective interest. Self-interest only serves the good of an individual while collective interest is meant to serve the good of everyone in society. In his essay, he describes overpopulation as a tragedy of the commons because as the population grows exponentially, resources only grow statically, and this will result in the depletion of our resources. When a resource...... middle of paper......20110926/en/]Berg, N., September 28, 2011, Why does California's Central Valley have such bad air pollution?: Citylab[http: / /www.citylab.com/weather/2011/09/behind-pollution-californias-central-valley/207/]Cone, T., November 13, 2008, Study: Calif dirty air kills more than car crashes: USA Today[ http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/news/topstories/2008-11-13-3576621412_x.htm?csp=34]San Joaquin Valley Air Control District, 2012, Frequently Asked Questions: San Joaquin Valley, California, San Joaquin Valley Air Control District[http://www.valleyair.org/general_info/frequently_asked_questions.htm#What%20is%20being%20done%20to%20improve%20air%20quality%20in%20the%20San%20Joaquin%20Valley]Marshall , C ., December 17, 2005, Builders in California's Central Valley May Have to Pay Taxes on Air Pollution: New York Times[http://www.nytimes.com/2005/12/17/national/17building.html? _r=1&]