Global environmental issues are the responsibility of richer nations, not poorer ones. To what extent do you agree or disagree?
THINGS TO REMEMBER BEFORE WRITING
(1) This is an opinion essay. In the introduction you MUST state your opinion.
(2) The question asks you to what ‘extent’ do you agree or disagree. This means you opinion can be anything from 100% agree to 100 disagree.
(3) Even if you totally agree (or disagree), it is a good idea to mention views for both sides. You can do this when you give your opinion (e.g. “While some people believe…, I think…”)
(4) Try to think of some synonyms for the keywords in the task. For example, “global” –> “worldwide” or “around the world”, “issues” –> “problems”, “richer” –> “wealthier”. Never copy the task directly but only use synonyms if you are sure they are appropriate.
(5) Aim for 2-3 body paragraphs. Each should have one main idea that supports your opinion. If your view is in the middle (“it depends” “there are two sides” “both are true/false”), then you can have one paragraph for each side.
(6) Summarize your view in the conclusion (paraphrase your main ideas).
NOTE – The following essay topic contains two sample answers: a simple one and an advanced one. Each one contains useful linking vocabulary in italics and advanced/topic-specific vocabulary in bold. The advanced version is written at a Band 9 level.
SAMPLE ANSWER ONE (Simple)
Global environmental issues are the responsibility of richer nations, not poorer ones. To what extent do you agree or disagree?
As environmental problems around the world become more serious, it is important that something is done about them as soon as possible. Because we all share the same planet, it is the responsibility of everyone to protect it, although nations with more ability to fix the problem should do more.
Richer nations became rich by using the environment and this has led to the problems we have today. By using a great amount of natural resources, like oil and coal, to produce things, they created air pollution and destroyed a lot of places where plants and animals live. Therefore, they should pay to help fix the problem because they have benefited the most from damaging the environment.
COMMENT – Your first goal is to be clear. If you know words like “habitat” (instead of “places where plants and animals live”), then use them, but only if you have made a clear point first.
On the other hand, if countries with a lot of money try to fix the world’s environmental problems, it will not matter if the poorer countries are still polluting the environment. The majority of the world’s population live in developing countries and as these places become more developed, their pollution levels also increase. For example, the world’s biggest polluter is China and its population is much more than one billion people, so even if richer countries stopped polluting, the world would still suffer from pollution.
Overall, the best way to help the environment is for everyone to take care of it. The world is connected, so even if one part of it tries to improve the condition of the environment, it will not matter. Countries that have more money should take the lead, but protecting the environment needs to be a priority for all of us. (263 words)
SAMPLE ANSWER TWO (Advanced)
Global environmental issues are the responsibility of richer nations, not poorer ones. To what extent do you agree or disagree?
There is no debate that humans are rapidly destroying the planet that we rely on to survive. The question now is who is responsible for addressing this enormous problem. While some believe it is the responsibility of nation who have gained their prosperity through exploiting the environment, it seems that all countries must play a role because there is only one Earth and all countries are connected.
The wealthiest countries now are generally the ones who were the first to industrialize. This process of industrialization produced huge amounts of pollution as well as deforestation and the extinction of numerous plant and animal species. At the same time, it allowed these countries to become extremely rich and the people living in them had a higher quality of life than people in poorer countries. Consequently, these countries should be the first to provide funding for environmental protection as they have the ability and their wealth comes from destroying what we all depend on.
However, the environment is a worldwide problem and rich nations cannot solve it alone. The biggest threat to the environment is people, and the majority of the world’s population live in developing countries that are now some of the world’s largest polluters. In other words, even if the most developed countries take action, it will be futile if most of the world is still pumping harmful emissions into the atmosphere and leveling rain forests.
Developing countries often argue that rich countries became rich through abusing the environment and now they are just doing the same thing. However, this is not an excuse when we know the risk humanity faces if the Earth can no longer support us. At the same time, richer nations are the ones that have the most power, so they must lead the way in preserving the environment for everyone. (307 words)
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Some people think that environmental problems should be solved on a global scale while others believe it is better to deal with them nationally.
Discuss both sides and give your opinion.
authorities need to take action
Nowadays, environment has become one of the most serious problems that humans have to deal with. However, there are many opinions about who would be responsible for this. Some people hold the idea that environment-related problems should be handled on a global scale while others suppose it is better if each nation is in charge of it.
To begin with, there are some certain reasons for people to give hand in protecting the environment. Firstly, this is the problem of mankind. We all lives on Earth and breathes the same atmosphere. Therefore, anything that could possibly do harm to the common living environment is worth thorough consideration. Secondly, the majority definitely can create much more stronger effects on environmental protection. In fact, campaigns that are held in global scale such as protection of wild animals have created many efficient waves and helped modify people’s behaviours to wild creatures.
On the other hand, handling with environmental issues nationally does have its own power. One of the key advantages here is efficiency. Authorities of a nation could control the environmental prevention status effectively by laws. For instance, Vietnamese government has passed the Law on forest protection and development in 2014 to deal with the accumulation of deforestation in recent years. Besides, it can be easily seen from the fact that each country has different environmental issues, so it would be more reasonable to tackle them separately. Nowadays, some countries such as China and India suffer from severe pollution while others in Africa have to deal with animal extinction, and it is obvious that each problem needs particular solutions.
From my point of view, the action of authorities in each country is a more important element in environmental protection. Although raising the conception in people all over the world is necessary, people are unlikely to take real actions without their government’s enforcement policies.
I think you can review these highlights. Hope it helps.
To begin with, there are some certain reasons for people …
… problem of mankind as we all lives on Earth and breathes the same atmosphere.
… environment is worth having thorough consideration.
… protection of wild animals have created many efficient ….have proved to have great effect on raising people’s awareness of the significance of protecting those animals and their natural habitat.
On the other hand, handling with environmental issues … the issue of environmental problems should also be tackled by the government of each country.
Besides, it can be easily seen from the fact that each country has different its own distint environmental issues, so would be more reasonable to tackle them separately the solution for them cannot be the same. Take China and Sout Africa for example, one suffers from serious pollution while the other have to deal with illegal wildlife trade, so they should carry on with different measures to tackle their problems.
Holt Educational Consultant — / 13,740 
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Mar 12, 2017 #3
Vi, the instructions were for you to discuss both sides and give your opinion. Therefore, the opening statement you created should have included a reference to a discussion of your opinion, without actually giving an opinion yet. While you provided an acceptable discussion of both sides in your essay. The fact that you used your personal opinion as the closing statement of this essay lessened the possible score for your essay. I do not know if you were told this but, a concluding statement can never be in the form of a personal opinion. That is because the concluding statement is used to offer a reminder of the discussion provided only. It is not meant to increase the information regarding a discussion. As such, the task accuracy score of your essay was immediately and direly affected to the point where your possible score cannot be higher than a 5,
@Jenna231
@Holt
Thank you so much for your advices!
Have a nice day!
In recent years the number of environmental problems has increased greatly. One of the most dangerous problems for our planet is global warming which means that most climates all over the world are changing and getting warmer. It happens because we burn too much petrol resources, such as oil and coal, and the Earth heats up. This process can cause melting of the polar ice and the sea level rising in the future. If the climate changes there will be floods, heavy storms or severe droughts in different areas of the world. Cutting down on exhaust fumes from vehicles could help solve this serious problem.
Our planet is overpopulated, that’s why we are using up our natural resources – they are not endless. So the scientists have started looking for some alternate forms of energy such as water, wind, sunlight and even tides. These resources are clean, natural and unlimited. I’m glad that modern automobile industries make hybrids which use electric or solar energy instead of petrol. It would definitely help protect our environment from pollution.
There are different kinds of environmental pollution: air pollution, water pollution, land pollution. Sadly, not all human beings realize or admit that we are the ones who cause these problems and we should be the first to stop them and protect our environment. Because of the industrial revolution the air is polluted with awful chemicals; seas and oceans are poisoned with oil spills. Many rare species of flora and fauna are threatened with extinction.
We should be proud to live on our wonderful planet and understand that the consequences of pollution might be terrible and affect us and our children later. We should start recycling things made of glass, paper, plastic and aluminium. We should stop smoking and plant as many trees as we can because they can give us more oxygen. We need to drive less and use public transport in order to reduce fuel burning. We are responsible for the situation.
Перевод
Проблемы окружающей среды
В последние годы число проблем окружающей среды сильно возросло. Одной из самых опасных проблем для нашей планеты является глобальное потепление, которое означает изменение климата по всему миру и его потепление. Это происходит оттого, что мы сжигаем слишком много топливных ресурсов, таких как нефть и уголь, и Земля нагревается. Этот процесс может привести к таянию полярного льда и повышению уровня моря в будущем. Если изменится климат, произойдут наводнения, сильные штормы или жестокие засухи в разных частях света. Сокращение выхлопных газов транспортных средств могло бы способствовать разрешению этой серьезной проблемы.
Наша планета перенаселена, поэтому мы расходуем до предела наши природные ресурсы – они не бесконечны. Так ученые приступили к поискам альтернативных форм энергии, таких как вода, ветер, солнечный свет и даже приливы. Эти источники чисты, естественны и бесконечны. Я рад, что современная автомобильная промышленность выпускает гибриды, использующие электрическую или солнечную энергию вместо бензина. Это обязательно поможет защите нашей среды от загрязнения.
Существуют разные виды загрязнения окружающей среды: загрязнение воздуха, воды и почвы. К сожалению, не все люди осознают или признают, что именно мы создаем эти проблемы, и мы должны быть первыми, кто остановит их и защитит наше окружение. Из-за промышленной революции воздух загрязнен ужасными химикатами; моря и океаны отравлены разливами нефти. Многие редкие виды флоры и фауны находятся под угрозой вымирания.
Нам нужно гордиться тем, что мы живем на нашей замечательной планете, и следует понимать, что последствия загрязнения могут быть страшными и воздействовать на нас и наших детей позже. Нам нужно перерабатывать изделия из стекла, бумаги, пластика и алюминия. Нужно бросать курить и сажать как можно больше деревьев для того, чтобы они вырабатывали для нас больше кислорода. Мы должны меньше водить машины и стараться пользоваться общественным транспортом, чтобы снизить количество сжигаемого топлива. Мы ответственны за ситуацию.
Тема «Проблемы окружающей среды» (Environmental problems) — 4.6 out of
5
based on
182 votes
Scientists believe that the world is in danger due to environmental changes. Some people say that personal lifestyle changes should be made to reduce the damage to environment, while others think that the government should do something to help. Discuss both views and give your own opinion.
Sample Band 8 Essay
Environmental problems are clearly something that is often discussed in today’s world. One part of the society claims that individuals should change their habits and lifestyle to improve the ecological situation. Others, on the other hand, believe that this issue should be solved on the governmental level. This essay will discuss both sides of the argument and my perspective will be offered.
It is hard to deny that human kind is responsible for the current environmental situation, and it seems impossible to achieve any noticeable result in this field without the participation of vast majority of individuals. For instance, a simple lifestyle change such as introducing the separation of household rubbish can make recycling projects more convenient and efficient. Moreover, consumers can reduce their usage of plastic items and, in turn, less plastic waste will contaminate the environment.
However, many people still feel that the government has more tools to prevent environmental changes. One option that the authorities have is to discourage citizens from using personal vehicles by charging high taxes and additional fees. Moreover, politicians usually have access to resources to educate people about environmental problems and promote the most important ecological projects on all levels, ranging from special courses at schools to TV shows and websites related to this topic. Furthermore, it is a key responsibility of the government to protect the environment by spending state funds on research and modern equipment. Countries where legislation protects the ecology, for example Norway, have achieved visible results and overcame most environmental problems.
In conclusion, I believe that a combined approach will work best to prevent or reverse environmental changes. A contribution of every individual is just as important as the intervention from the government in order to fix existing issues and save our planet for future generations.
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| Essay Sample 3 | |
|
Марк Харрисон |
Comment on the following statement: |
| Some people say that damage to the environment is the biggest problem facing the world. However, other people say that there are other problems that are more important. | |
|
What is your opinion? Do you agree with this statement? |
Some people think that environmental problems are the most dangerous whereas others don’t agree.
I think that nowadays environmental catastrophe is the biggest threat. First of all, global worming can bring us a lot of troubles. If the ice melts, a lot of countries will be flooded. Second, Ozone holes can cause the death of a lot of lands. Also bad food, air and water can be the reason of various diseases.
At the same time there are people who say that overpopulation, lack of food and nuclear war can be even more dangerous.
In my opinion these people have a point. These threats can kill our planet too. Nevertheless, they are easier to control than environmental problems. Nuclear moratorium, new technologies allow us to solve these problems.
In conclusion I’d like to say that if we weigh all the facts that say that danger to the environment is the biggest problem against the ones that support other threats, we’ll see that the facts that support the statement outweigh those against.
Read by Neil Geitz
