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and train times and so on. Perhaps a more effective solution would be to
charge people each time they use their car. So, for example, you pay for each
kilometre you drive. I think that would really help. People would certainly
think twice before making a car journey if they knew it would cost them
money.
Practice tasks 4: Sample answers
PART 3
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Do you think that governments around the world are doing enough to
prevent environmental problems?
I think that depends on where you are. Some governments are doing a lot,
others are doing very little or nothing at all. In my country, the
government allowed industry to develop unregulated, and now we are all
paying the price because of the appalling levels of pollution. However,
all my government does is talk about what it should do, but doesn’t
actually do anything. Other governments have taken far more positive
action. One example that springs to mind is Singapore, where clean air
laws and regulations, together with an excellent public transport system
and protected green spaces, keep this small but crowded island
comparatively clean and green. In fact, in some parts of the island, you
would find it hard to believe you were in a city of over 5 million people.
•
What steps could big businesses and organisations take in order to be more
environmentally friendly?
There are several things that businesses could do, and they don’t have to
be expensive. For example, they could use products that reduce their
reliance on natural resources. So instead of using oil or gas for heating,
they could use solar power. And instead of using tap water, they could
have rainwater tanks and use that water instead. They could also make
better use of recycled products. That would include everything from
office paper to office furniture. Additionally, if their employees have to
travel a lot for conferences, they could perhaps consider ways in which
this could be avoided. For example, instead of travelling to another
country to meet their clients, they could hold a conference call instead.
Little things like that would really help, I think.
•
Do you think that classes on environmental issues should be compulsory in
schools?
I completely agree with this. I think it’s really important that children
learn from an early age how important the environment is, how fragile it
is, what sort of impact they have on it and how they could reduce that
impact. I remember that when I was at school we had environment days
where a whole day each term was devoted to learning about
environmental issues. We had visiting speakers who gave talks and
presentations, and we watched videos, did quizzes and played games, and
we held class and group discussions and debates. Those days were great
fun and really interesting, but most importantly they made us aware how
important it was to be environmentally responsible.
WRITING
Our planet’s environmental system is under threat like it has never been before.
Pollution is killing life in our rivers, seas and oceans, deforestation is
destroying the natural habitat of many species of land animals and the overuse
of pesticides is killing insects, which are vital for the well-being of our
ecosystem. Our planet’s temperature is rising too as a result of pollution. This
has resulted in declining Arctic sea ice, a 17 cm sea level rise in the last 100
years, and more extreme weather events around the world.
These devastating changes should be prompting everyone – individuals and
industrial organisations alike – to take immediate action to reduce their impact
on the environment. Instead, however, apathy and indifference seem to prevail.
The general attitude is to keep doing things the same until told to do otherwise.
After all, people say, if things were really that bad, the government would do
something about it.
Many governments are doing something, of course. In fact, thanks to legislation
in my country, large areas of natural land are now protected from development,
heavy fines are imposed on industries which cause excessive pollution, and
homeowners are given subsidies to install environmentally friendly solar
panels to heat and light their homes.
However, it is also the duty of individuals and organisations to take
responsibility. Individuals can recycle their household waste, they can turn
down their heating, they can turn off lights when not using them and they can
walk, cycle or take the bus instead of driving everywhere in their cars.
Companies and organisations can look at the way they operate to reduce their
impact on the environment. For example, they can switch to a green energy
supplier, they can use recycled products, they can use video-conferencing to
cut down on travel, their employees can share cars on the journey to work and
so on.
In conclusion, therefore, I believe that we should all play our part and consider
ways of reducing our impact on the environment. We should not rely on our
governments alone to do this.
Practice tasks 5
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