Since the birth of the automobile in 1866, the majority of humanity has depended heavily on this mode of transportation, particularly 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 humanity's biggest problems. In Garret Hardin's essay, The Tragedy of the Commons, Hardin defines a commons as a resource available to everyone 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 reached a record low in California's Central Valley. If we continue to ignore the issue of air pollution, we will seriously put our health at risk, because the current health effects of air pollution already include lung diseases and cancer. Solutions to the smog pollution problem include developing engines with cleaner emissions, as part of an engineering 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 possible consequences on the resources of our planet in a scenario where individual interest comes into conflict 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, which will lead to their depletion. When a resource......middle of article......20110926/en/]Berg, N., September 28, 2011, Why California's Central Valley has such bad pollution atmospheric? : Citylab[http:/ /www.citylab.com/weather/2011/09/behind-pollution-californias-central-valley/207/]Cone, T., November 13, 2008, Study: California's dirty air kills more than car accidents: USA Today[ ^ San Joaquin Valley Air Traffic Control District, 2012, frequently asked questions: San Joaquin Valley, California, San Joaquin. Valley Air Traffic Control District., December 17, 2005, Builders in California's Central Valley May Face Air Pollution Charges: New York Times[http://www.nytimes.com/2005/12/17/ national/17building.html?_r=1&]