Some people claim that individuals are responsible for preserving the nature. However, I feel that governments should take the lead in taking care of the environment, as they have a better capacity to do so.
To begin, it is true that citizens can help to protect our nature. Collectively, there is much benefit that people can bring to the environment through small actions. These range from taking a walk to work or university instead of driving a car, which can drastically reduce the amount of greenhouse gases, to switching from using plastic bags to reusable packaging. While this can certainly help to alleviate some environmental problems, citizens alone cannot solve them in totality. For example, it is virtually impossible for individuals to restore the Aral Sea, which dried up a long time ago.
On the other hand, governments should be responsible for taking action against these issues for two primary reasons. Firstly, as opposed to individuals who already have many problems of their own, the government has more resources to tackle environmental challenges. Investing in expensive eco-friendly technologies, such as filters for cars and factories, is not something citizens can do. Another reason has to do with legislative power of governments. Unlike ordinary citizens, they can introduce new laws to help conserve the nature. This could be a ban on driving in city centers, for instance, or relocating large plants that pollute the air outside of urban areas.
To conclude, although individuals can aid the preservation of the environment, it is mainly the responsibility of the governments to tackle environmental issues.