Globally, it has been scientifically proved that transportation of products and people is a leading contributor to pollution. Responding to this fact, some people believe that governments should play a primary role in ameliorating environmental degradation. However, others argue that individuals should take the main responsibility for tackling the issue. In my view, governments should collaborate with citizens to maximize positive effects.
On the one hand, some people believe that governments should play a primary role in mollifying severe contamination. First, environmental deterioration is a complexity of negative chemical, geological, and biological variations that occur on a large scale. Governments, in this case, have the capacity to implement large-scale policies, such as subsidizing electric vehicles, imposing stricter emission standards on freight transportation, and investing in public transit systems, which could significantly reduce pollution caused by emissions. For example, the government-led policies that encoourages the transformation from fossil-fuel-based transportation to electric ones in China has efficiently improved air quality in metropolitans.
On the other hand, others maintain that placating environmental pollution should be individuals’ responsibility. The impacts that individuals’ transportation choices have on environmental quality are often cited to support this belief. In particular, individuals can reduce the total quantity of waste released into the environment and contribute to the well-controlled waste management system by adopting eco-friendly habits. For example, large cities in European countries usually have high air quality because citizens travel by bike and public transportation in order to minimize their carbon footprint.
However, the combination of eco-friendly policies and individuals’ environment-protecting awareness generates a more obvious outcome. Increased citizens’ care for the environment’s health, coupled with more intense legal punishment for environmentally harmful mass production industries, would discourage manufacturers from releasing overwhelming amounts of waste into the environment.
In conclusion, opinions are divided on whether the responsibility for assuaging the contemporary environmental issues should belong to governments or individuals. Despite each side’s advantages, I believe the collaboration between the government and citizens would produce the most significant repercussions.