The awareness of society towards the local environment should be triggered by the authorities. I do agree that the government officials have a paramount role to develop their citizens’ concern for the environment since the authorities can provide both regulation and budget for supporting their citizens in doing good for their environment.
Fundamentally, regulation on the environmental sector can be a proper instrument for the government to advocate individuals becoming more environmentally friendly. The government of Jayapura District, for example, regulates no plastic bags provided by all the local supermarkets that influence not only customers to bring their own shopping bags but also the shops to sell more eco-friendly bags. As a result, the diet plastic bag has been becoming a common habit of the local people and the local businesses in Jayapura city of Papua. It proves that the government has a crucial part to shape the society’s environmental mindset.
Subsequently, financial support is another way that could be taken by the government for supporting the society to look after the local environment. By providing government funds, they can support local communities’ initiatives in taking care of biodiversity. For instance, since 2010 the authority of Bandung has been allocating a budget for the environmental activists that do actions such as waste banks, environmental campaigns, or creating businesses by utilizing waste. So, if the government supports these environmental actors financially, they will be the agent of changes that can influence more people to do the same actions for their environment.
To sum up, I agree that the government should develop the public’s knowledge and skills of keeping the ecosystem sustainable. Providing financial support and regulating environmental issues are the two crucial actions that could be taken by the public officials.