While the sharing economy seems to have a growing number of fans, it also seems to generate more questions about its economic and social impacts. Interestingly, one part that is still missing from these discussions (well, not entirely) is the environmental impacts of the sharing economy. The general notion is that the sharing economy has a positive environmental impact as it promotes a greater use of underutilized assets. But is this true?
While the sharing economy seems to have a growing number of fans, it also seems to generate more questions about its economic and social impacts.
Interestingly, one part that is still missing from these discussions (well, not entirely) is the environmental impacts of the sharing economy. The general notion is that the sharing economy has a positive environmental impact as it promotes a greater use of underutilized assets. But is this true?
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This answer no doubt is complicated. As you can learn, there are even doubts about the environmental impacts of what may look to most people as one of the greener parts of the sharing economy, if not the greenest – bike sharing.
As Bobby Magill reported recently on Climate Central, while we know for sure that nobody has ever died on a bike-share bike, we can’t really be sure what impact bike sharing has on climate change.
Image of Citi bike rider in New York City via Shutterstock.
Read more at ENN Affiliate, Triple Pundit.
