Topic 1: Increasing travels between countries enable people to learn different cultures or to increase tension between people from different countries

Topic 56: It is said that the best way to solve the world's environmental problems is to increase the price of fuel. To what extent do you agree or disagree?

The burning of fossil fuels is universally recognised as the largest source of emissions of greenhouse gases in the world and one of the key factors responsible for global warming. When there is a growing concern about the destructive effects of global warming and other environmental problems, some people argue that the best approach to deal with such problems is to increase fuel prices, assuming that it will lead directly to the drop in car use. This approach is productive to some extent, but some other measures should be given equal consideration.

It should be first noted that car use alone does not take up the entire consumption of petrol, although people's obsession with car use contributes greatly to greenhouse gas emission. Petrol is intended for other applications too, such as electricity generation, the daily running of equipment and machinery for industrial and agricultural purposes. People are not surprised to see that the appliances used by many families are powered by petrol as well. Therefore, when it comes to reducing greenhouse gas emissions, people should take different methods simultaneously, instead of relying on any single method only.

People should meanwhile recognise the fact that the demand for petrol is generally inelastic, at least in the short run. The consumption of petrol would not vary significantly according to the fluctuation of petrol price. To such a high degree have people relied on petrol in their daily lives that they cannot cut petrol use immediately. Some people might argue that using public transport is an alternative, but notably, public transport itself is a large producer of carbon dioxide. Going on fool or by bike is clean, but not preferred by many people, who are extremely time conscious.

Therefore, die effort to reduce greenhouse gases emission by curbing car use cannot achieve any immediate outcome unless sufficient time is given. Over a period of years, petrol consumption is very-likely to drop, when households realise that fuels represent an increasing proportion of expenditure. People might turn to fuel-efficient cars or reduce non-essential trips, both resulting in the drop in petrol use. Car manufacturers are forced to enlarge research and development investment in producing hybrid cars or cars powered by renewable clean energy sources, a cure-all for car emission problems.

In conclusion, imposing petrol tax is neither the main nor the only solution to environmental problems that people are struggling to solve, although the utilisation of fossil fuels, particularly petrol, is the largest source of emissions. Some other methods should be taken into consideration as well.

1. 
   take up = occupy = make up = constitute = account for
   
2. 
   obsession with = fascination with = passion for
   
3. 
   inelastic = unchangeable = fixed
   
4. 
   cure-all = panacea = universal remedy = solution