Environmental problems are too big for individual countries and individual persons to address. In other words, we have reached the stage where the only way to protect the environment is at an international level. To what extent do you agree or disagree with this opinion?
Climate change is a phenomenon affecting all people in all walks of life, from individual citizens to whole
countries and huge multinational companies. Therefore, I disagree with the notion that the only way to
address the environmental problems is at international level. I firmly believe that this colossal problem
can only be handled if all individuals contribute; all governments take steps at national level and also join hands at an international level. Undoubtedly, gigantic steps need to be taken, and are being taken at the international level. The ‘COP21’ in Paris in November 2015 is a step in this direction. The aim of ‘COP21’ is well known: to reach a universal agreement limiting the rise in global average temperature to 2°C above pre-industrial levels. All nations are realizing that climate change is one of the greatest challenges faced by mankind today.
Many steps can be taken at the national level. Governments can aware people of the benefits of using
energy efficient devices. For instance, this year government of India gave 2 LED bulbs to each government employee at Rs 10/- each under the “Prakash Path” scheme. The cost of each bulb is Rs 400/-. The cost will be recovered by adding a very small amount in each month’s electricity bill for about year. In about 100 cities, the streetlights have been replaced with LED bulbs, which is a saving of a huge amount per day.
LED bulbs use a tenth of electricity as compared to other bulbs. Once people realize that by using LED
bulbs, their electricity bills will reduce, they will be prepared to make the initial heavy investment also.
Although the international and national level steps are imperative, it is also a fact that individual action
combined with governmental action can do a lot more to prevent climate change than if individual
citizens were not involved. In a world of six billion people, if everyone stopped wasting water, disposed
off their rubbish properly, started accepting recycled material and stopped succumbing to consumerism,
then it would go a long way in solving the problem of environment.
Summing up, individual citizens cannot sit back and say it is someone else’s responsibility to protect the
environment; we must all play our part – individual citizens and governments at the national and
international level.
Environmental problems are too big for individual countries and individual persons to address. In other words, we have reached the stage where the only way to protect the environment is at an international level. To what extent do you agree or disagree with this opinion?