The transportation of goods and people generates pollution. There are two diametrically opposed views regarding the matter of whether or not it is the government’s or individuals’ responsibility to bear.
On the one hand, some people think that the government should bear the responsibility because all individuals in the country have paid their proportion of taxes in accordance with the set taxation schemes in the country. Thereby, they hold expectations for these issues to be resolved with the tax money. The government should aid in reducing pollution by building energy-efficient public transport, or implementing car-free zones in certain areas. They could also promote the use of electric vehicles to decrease fuel consumption and carbon dioxide emissions in the country.
However, it can be argued that individuals are the ones who should take accountability for this matter. As some people in the country only use private cars as their sole mode of transport, and do not bother carpooling or using public transport instead. This causes a large amount of pollutants to be released into the environment. Not only that, individuals also tend to shop and purchase products on online platforms. This is extremely detrimental to the environment because the shipping process from overseas to local grounds would encompass air or sea shipments, which cause the air and sea to be polluted with toxic gases.
In conclusion, I believe that individuals are to bear the responsibility of polluting the environment, as collectively we as a society are the cause of it. In my opinion, with small steps taken by each individual, we can reverse the harm that we have caused our earth. This is our only home, and we should love and protect it.