IELTS Writing Task 2: environment essay — Band 9 sample & how to write it

As environmental threats such as climate change intensify, debate has grown over who bears responsibility for addressing them. While some maintain that the scale of these problems renders individual effort futile, I believe that personal action, though insufficient on its own, remains both meaningful and necessary.

There is certainly a strong case that only governments and corporations can deliver change of the required magnitude. Industrial emissions, deforestation and large-scale pollution are driven by economic systems that no single consumer can reshape. A government can impose carbon taxes, fund renewable energy and regulate polluting industries, while a multinational can transform the footprint of an entire supply chain overnight. Compared with such levers, switching off a light or recycling a bottle can appear almost negligible.

Nevertheless, dismissing individual responsibility is, in my view, mistaken. Collective behaviour is simply the sum of countless personal choices, and shifts in consumer demand routinely force companies and politicians to respond. When millions reduce meat consumption or reject single-use plastics, markets adapt and the issue rises up the political agenda. Individuals also vote, campaign and raise the next generation, so their influence extends well beyond their own household.

In conclusion, although the decisive power to tackle environmental problems undoubtedly lies with governments and industry, this does not absolve individuals of responsibility. The two are interdependent: informed, active citizens create the pressure that compels institutions to act. Genuine progress, therefore, requires effort at every level rather than a choice between them.