Question

Automobiles are private property, as are the gasoline and maintenance services which keep them rolling. People rationally buy and sell such assets. But operating a car creates pollutants which are emptied into the air--and air is not privately owned. Small wonder that we accept the gains of automobile transportation but ignore the pollution costs. We weigh the costs of the car, the gas and the maintenance against their benefit, but we do not have to buy the air, so we treat pollution as being free.

In the absence of saleable property rights, there are no markets and no prices to induce and guide efficient use of resources. The costs of pollution aren’t fully weighed, and individually rational activity in a defective institutional arrangement results in excessive pollution.

Would it be possible to have zero pollution by any means?

Why is the optimal amount of pollution likely to vary across societies? Would real per capita income differences have a predictable effect?

What is the un-owned good that leads to excessive congestion on urban freeways? How could a rush hour toll mimic a market solution to that un-owned good?

Why is there less graffiti in your bathroom than in a public restroom?

Answer 1

No. Zero pollution is not possible since that would stop all economic and development activities.

The optimal amount of pollution is likely to vary across societies due to difference in the possession of resources, wealth, income which is not equally distributed in an economy. Income classes are inevitable truth of every society. Yes the real per capita income difference have a predicatable effect. Even if there is a new technology in place that could reduce the pollution emissions or may be treat the effluents before letting them into the atmosphere, thos with higher incomes will be able to avail such technological advancements. Moreover, those with higher incomes are able to buy the permits to pollute.

Buses and public transports or freight carriages leads to excessive congestion. Not actually unless the buses and freight carriages are public property.

Less graffiti in bathroom because bathroom is a private property and the its bad shape or damage directly affects our pockets as they are part of private cost than a public restroom the cost of which doesn’t directly fall on us.