Due to Hyderabad’s major contribution to Climate Change, we demand that government officials of the State of Telangana implement Cap and Trade programs to limit and control vehicle emissions. 

Climate change is currently a global issue which is resulting in unsustainable developments of societies. Hyderabad not only contributes to this issue, but is also bearing the consequences. Vehicle emissions, due to abundant traffic in Hyderabad, is a major contributor towards the city’s air contamination. Consequently, there have been various destructive impacts on communities concerning the health of individuals and environments. For instance, Hyderabad is facing excessive rainfall during the Monsoon season, which contrasts climatic patterns from past decades. 

If this continues, Hyderabad and it’s surroundings would become unsuitable for future populations to occupy due to dangerous health conditions resulting from extreme air contamination and destructive weather patterns. 

Studies prove that vehicle emissions majorly originate from fuel based vehicles, mainly of older models. The Government of Telangana has taken actions towards the management of this issue, but these measures aren’t efficient enough to make any major improvements. 

Cap and Trade is a system which creates a limit, or cap, to the annual carbon emissions of a community. This limit/ cap decreases annually. To maintain this, permits are auctioned off to private sectors to allow only a certain amount of carbon emissions. In this case, fuel companies would be given permits to cap the tons of carbon emitted from burning their fuel. These permits can be traded and sold in carbon markets to other companies if the permit is not fully used and the company no longer needs it, providing an economic incentive to private sectors. The revenue generated through auctioning permits can be used by governments to invest in sustainable and public transportation systems/ vehicles. 

As the cap limits the fuel produced by companies, the high demand for fuel increases the cost of the fuel. This motivates people to opt for electric vehicles. Furthermore, awareness campaigns must be conducted to educate people about the benefits of electric vehicles. To  reduce the economic stress on low income communities, these campaigns must also show the possibilities of exchanging the engine of old vehicles to electric models rather than purchasing newer vehicles. Rebates must also be rewarded to these communities, to aid with the implied costs. Awareness campaigns and rebates are crucial for the efficiency of any program. 

Cap and Trade can eventually lead to the reduction of old, polluting vehicles on the roads, which in turn would reduce the carbon emissions of the city/ state. While the population is not immediately benefited, the environment is. Furthermore, the conversion to electric vehicles will eventually lead to possibly the total reduction of vehicle emissions, becoming a major step towards making Hyderabad a carbon neutral city, crucial for the city’s future sustainability.