IELTS Writing Task 2: Protecting the Environment — Individuals or Governments (Band 9 Sample)

As environmental problems grow more urgent, there is much debate about who should lead the response. Some argue that only governments have the power to make a difference, while others insist that change begins with individuals. In my view, both have an essential role, but the primary responsibility lies with governments.

1. The case for individual responsibility

Those who emphasise individual action have a point. The choices ordinary people make every day — how much they consume, whether they recycle, how they travel — add up to an enormous collective impact. Moreover, if millions of citizens demand greener products and lifestyles, businesses and politicians are forced to follow. In this sense, meaningful change is often driven from the bottom up.

2. Why governments must lead

Nevertheless, I believe governments bear the greater responsibility, because only they can act on the necessary scale. Individuals cannot regulate polluting industries, build public transport networks or negotiate international climate agreements — these require the power of the state. Furthermore, relying on individuals is unfair and unreliable, since people cannot easily make green choices when the affordable option is the polluting one. Governments can change that by taxing pollution and investing in clean alternatives, making the sustainable choice the easy one.

In conclusion, while individual behaviour undoubtedly matters and can drive demand for change, I firmly believe the main responsibility rests with governments, since they alone possess the tools to tackle environmental problems at the scale the crisis demands.