How can governments reduce carbon dioxide emissions from cars, improving public transportation or providing financial support to electric-car manufacturers and consumers?

This week we’ve discussed how carbon dioxide released by gasoline-powered (petrol-powered) cars pollutes the air and contributes to climate change. Let’s focus now on two proposals that governments can consider as they try to reduce carbon dioxide emissions from cars. One proposal is to improve and expand public transportation. The other is to provide financial support to companies that make electric cars and to consumers who buy them. Which proposal do you think is better? Why?

I think improving public transportation would be more beneficial overall than giving tax breaks or rebates to particular companies and consumers. If taking a train or a bus is significantly easier，cheaper，and faster than driving a car, more people will want to use public transportation. With fewer cars on the road. there will be less air pollution.

I believe that providing financial support to electric-car manufacturers and consumers is the better innovative long- term strategy. Many people live in rural areas, and they need their own vehicles to get around. These people would not benefit from, say, more train lines being built in a far-off city.