What's happening?

Paris is sometimes called the City of Light. But some say it should really be called the City of SmogA kind of toxic fog caused by high levels of air pollution..

Large cars called SUVsSports Utility Vehicles. A type of car that sits high off the ground and can drive off-road. are taking over Paris. Officials say the number has risen by 60% in the last four years.

SUVs hurt the environmentThe natural world.. Every year, the world's SUVs release more CO2Carbon dioxide. into the air than the UK and Germany put together. In Paris, officials hope that by making SUV owners pay more to park, more people will choose to have smaller cars - or no car at all.

Every day millions of people drive cars without much thought. We drive them to school, to work, to the shops and to the train station.

But many now think we have made a big mistake. Cars pollute the air around them, hurting the environment and our health. Over 1.35 million people a year die in car accidents.

As a result, cities have tried to reduce car use. Some aim to become 15-minute cities, where all key services and needs are within a 15 minute walk.

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London has the Ultra Low Emission Zone (ULEZ). Drivers must pay each day they use a vehicle. Mayor of London Sadiq Khan argues it is important to clean the air and stop people "breathing in poison".

Campaigners hope that driving is the new smoking. Cigarettes were once seen as normal. But as doctors learnt about their dangers, people turned away.

But not everyone wants to stop driving. Many people say they need their cars to get to work. And cars allow us to go to many more places quickly and easily.

Yes! Smoking was once something that many people thought was fashionable and even healthy. Now, most people know the dangers. Cars could be replaced by something greener.

No! We need cars to take us to all of the places we need to go. They are much quicker than other options. And electric cars could solve the pollution problem.