Opinions vary with respect to who should care for the environment: people or government. In my mind, both individual citizens and government have distinct roles to play in environmental conservation.
People calling for action to mend our degrading environment on an individual level point to how people can make an outsized impact. They believe our individual efforts accumulate to produce a substantial result, which can be made by minor lifestyle changes such as mindful use of energy, recycling, and responsible waste disposal. They argue these adjustments help reduce individual carbon footprint, and when made by many green-minded people, gross benefit to the environment can be larger than any government-funded environmental conservation project. Additionally, citizens can use their consumer power to discourage unsustainable business practices. Boycotting companies and plants whose operation and production processes cause direct or indirect harm to the environment, for instance, is known to work seeing as big corporations and plants with considerable carbon emissions tend to switch to environmentally friendly practices to continue appeal to their clients and retain them.
Others, however, are convinced that government has to intervene. They justify their position by arguing how governments can use legal power to effect change by implementing and enforcing policies that work in favor of the environment. Green taxes on energy companies to compensate for their carbon emissions or catch quotas on fisheries to restore fish stock in the sea are some examples of such policies. They believe these steps help buffer ecological harm and afford the environment time it needs to recover. Furthermore, proponents also urge governments to take global measures through international cooperation by funding large-scale green projects to alleviate environmental harm like deforestation, wildlife loss, desertification, and pollution. These issues are known to be too big to be addressed on an individual level, necessitating coordinated global collaboration on the environmental front by governments.
In conclusion, it is now evident that both individuals and governments have designated responsibilities towards the environment, which cannot be readily fulfilled by a one-sided approach. Therefore, I would expect action from both parties if the environment is to be saved.