Are Uber, Airbnb and car-sharing platforms good for the environment?

Consciously or unconsciously, the sharing economy (or collaborative economy) has provided many consumers with more and often cheaper alternatives of products and services in many sectors of the economy. During holidays we rent apartments with Airbnb, we borrow a ladder from a neighbour with Peerby, or we join a ride with a stranger to visit relatives in another city with Blablacar. Many of the collaborative economy platforms have…