Submitted by: Eileen Guo
Volkswagen has admitted to cheating on American air pollution tests. They installed softwares in their vehicles so that it would go into “test mode,” which emits much less smog than it normally does. However, on the road, the vehicle actually emits 40 times the legal amount of smog. Their scandalous actions have been going on ever since 2008. After seven years, they are finally being brought to justice and face charges up to $18 billion.
Citizens of the United States, as well as other countries, are outraged about Volkswagen’s crime. Not only have they cheated and face a civil case, but will probably be on trial for criminal charges as well. Volkswagen claims to be “so sorry,” which is way too fake considering that they’ve been cheating for seven years and hiding the fact that their cars were spewing out deadly pollutants.
You may not know that this isn’t Volkswagen’s first scandal. In the 1970s, the company installed “defeat devices” that, similarly, shut down a vehicle’s pollution control system. It was one of the first companies caught cheating.
Companies destroy our environment just so that they can make money. People are greedy and they cheat just so that they can get their benefits. At the same time, they are fooling the public and destroying our environment. Our air gets progressively worse and scientists predict that by the year of 2050, the leading cause of death will be from polluted air… can you even begin to fathom that?
Daniel Quinn once said that, “man was innocent until he discovered the difference between good and evil. When he was no longer oblivious to that knowledge, he became a fallen creature. We are not alone on this planet. We are part of a community, upon which we depend absolutely. We are destroying the world because we are, in a very literal and deliberate way, at war with it.”
Industries are at war with earth. We are at war with earth.
What will you do to help?
