A scientific consensus reveals that logistics and human activities have emerged as key contributors to air pollution around the world. The question of whether governing bodies should bear the responsibility to mitigate this pressing issue or individuals should take the accountability has long been a topic of debate. While both parties have a role to play, I personally advocate for the former viewpoint because of the fact that governments have the authority and resources to regulate pollution more effectively than people.
Proponents often highlight that individuals can contribute to reduce air pollution noticeably by changing their habits towards environmental sustainability. When people stop driving their cars while commuting by public transportation, find alternative renewable energy sources to heat their houses or operate their factories instead of using fossil fuels, such as coal, which pollutes the atmosphere due to footprints and hazardous particles, the level of contamination from households will decrease. Scandinavian countries could be a notable example to illustrate that the populations really care about environmental preservation and they often prefer walking or bicycling for short distances while relying on solar powers and wind turbines, ensuring the reason why Norway, Sweden, and Denmark maintain excellent air quality. This goes to show that individual efforts play a role in eliminating the rising pollution rate.
However, this perspective often overlooks some limitations and challenges. Regardless of people’s efforts and needs, they cannot solve this issue alone due to systematic barriers. More specifically, in impoverished areas where public transport is not reliable, renewable sources are unaffordable, and locally produced products are significantly more expensive compared to foreign alternatives, people often feel compelled to resort to act against environmental sustainability. This is particularly exemplified by a case in Uzbekistan where the price of electric cars costs so high that makes it complex for people to purchase them in order to reduce their reliance on fuel-run vehicles, hazardous for the environment. From this regard, it is wrong to shoulder the responsibility on individuals themselves to mitigate air pollution when existing systems in governments have regulative and administrative failures.
Therefore, it is essential for governments to take the lead in resolving this air pollution challenge.