The responsibilities for the environment rest with not only the

government but also with individuals. What’s your opinion?

In this day and age, the environment is a contentious issue (the environmental
problem is increasingly serious/The environmental protection is in urgent need).
From my perspective (Therefore), I strongly agree with the statement that both the
government and individuals must hold responsibilities for this planet's protection.
(this planet).
To begin with, the duties for the environment belong to individuals. They, in
fact, give rise to the environment (more or less contribute to environmental
problems). For example, when people use personal transportation daily, they emit a
massive amount of Carbon Dioxide into the atmosphere. As a result, climate
change has occurred in recent decades, causing many additional issues such as
biodiversity loss and melting ice caps, and so on (just to name a few). In addition,
the environment has a direct impact on humans. In another way, the more severe
the situation grows, the greater the number of repercussions individuals will face.
Humans, for example, are exposed to too much Carbon Dioxide as a result of
excessive consumption. Hence, people have suffered a range of health effects
namely difficulty breathing, tiredness, heart rate increasing, and the like. In
conclusion, if people were not obligated to conserve the Earth, they might destroy
their lives.
Critics may argue the responsibilities for the environment rest with (is of) only
the administration. This point (argument/idea/opinion/viewpoint), however, does
not persuade me (seem to be convincing/valid). In other words, if only the
government preserved the environment, their plans or policies about environmental
saving would fail due to the lack of individual participation. Singapore, which is
famous for being one of the cleanest countries in the world, is a typical example. It
is because, for many years, both the administration and citizens have been held
accountable for environmental protection.
In a nutshell, I believe that both the government and individuals must contribute
to saving the environment. Therefore, the environmental issues might improve day
by day.
 Possible score: 7.0 (good job!)

Written by Hai Van – Foreign Trade University (331 words)

Along with the rapid growth of science and technology, our environment has been threatened seriously
more than ever before. Facing this problem, many governments have recently approved national action
programs. I absolutely agree with the idea that the responsibilities of protecting the environment lie in
not only the government but also the individual.

Firstly, it can not be denied that governments can play the role of policy-makers while individuals are
those who can bring these policies into practice. Regulations to protect the environment can not come
into effect unless people understand the important of these rules and be eager to make them run
effectively.

In addition, there is a fact that while government is merely a group of politicians, individuals, including
billions of people can have an incredible strength to turn policies into actions. As a result, from remote
villages to modern cities, the whole community can, hand in hand, contribute to the common target of
protecting our environment. This positive effect can be well exampled by the fact that if one man plants
a seed, 20 years later our future generation will inherit giant green forests and our environment will be
well protected.

Finally, although some people may argue that the role of governments is much more important than
that of individuals because governments are leaders and they can change the way we treat our
environment completely, the truth is individuals can not only implement the rules but also can check,
supervise and give recommendations to make the law better and more practical, thanks to which the
environment can be well-preserved.

In summary, the government’s responsibilities for the environment can not be completed without the
supports from citizens and vice versa, individuals can not have a good method of protecting the
environment without clear and practical policies passed by the governments. In other words,
governments and individuals should cooperate and listen to each other so that our planet will be clean,
pure and forever green.

Sample 2: (284 words)

The environment is deteriorating day by day. Everyday we hear about such problems as pollution,
deforestation, and global warming, which badly affect human beings. Therefore, the protection of the
environment has been becoming more urgent than ever before. I strongly agree that besides the
government, the individual must be accountable for the environment themselves.

It is clear that each person must take responsibility for the environment for two reasons. First, the
environment plays an important role in human life, and lack of caring might lead to suffering from the
consequences. For example, if individuals pollute the air which they inhale every day, they might incur
lung-related diseases or respiratory problems. In addition, almost everything people do can impact the
surroundings. For instance, driving a car instead of using public transport triggers air pollution and a
waste of energy whereas using recycled or environmentally-friendly products may help reduce pollution
and waste. Thus, if everyone endeavour to preserve the environment, the earth will be a safe place to
reside.

Some people argue that only the government must be in charge of protecting the environment as
citizens pay taxes for them to do that. However, I don’t think this argument is valid. The government
shows their responsibility for the environment by issuing good environmental policies and investing in
environmental programs. Nevertheless, it is the individual who can put these policies and programs into
effect. Thus, without support from individuals, the government is unlikely to succeed.

In conclusion, the environment can be better protected if there is cooperation between individuals and
the government. As a result, each person needs to be aware of their role to make this planet a greener
and cleaner place.