One school of thought holds that the government should take responsibility for environmental protection as individuals can not do much. While acknowledging the reasons for this thinking, I would argue that the environmental protections requires concerted efforts from both authorities and ordinary people.
Granted, it is reasonable for some citizens to advocate for the idea of only the officials can bring meaningful effects on the status quo of the environmental problems. The vast scale of most of environmental issues recently requires a systematic solutions, which is beyond the individual reach. For instance, to tackle with air pollution, a multifaceted solutions should be applied, from upgrading public transportation platform and incentivizing the public using it by declining the fares or increasing the parking fees, to imposing stricter standard for private vehicle emission. Such measures not only need substantial financial resources, but also entail the legislative authority from the government, which are beyond the capacity of individual citizens.
However, I am convinced that overlooking the essential role of the public in preserving the eco-system would be a grave fault as every systematic change begins at the rootgrass levels. Individuals are the people who set the societal norms and determine the consumption tendency within the communities. That is the reason why the widespread of adoption recycling and energy-saving products among the citizens can encourage businesses and even governments adopt more sustainable pactices. Eventhough an individual effort may seem trivial, the cumulative effect of millions, even billions people can significantly transform the environmentally concious decisions. It is also notable that by using the electing right, the constituents can vote the officials deeply caring about the environmental problems and commiting to improve the environmental status quo.
To summarize, while the role of the government in environmental protection is dispensible, individual contributions can not be glossed over. A holistic and effective approach to environmental protection hinges on the concerted efforts of both the authorities and citizens, building a collaborative partnership to forge a sustainable environment.