Write for an Academic Discussion

A professor has posted a question about a topic and students have responded with their thoughts and ideas. Make a contribution to the discussion.
You will have 10 minutes to write.

Your professor is teaching a class on environmental studies.

In your response, you should do the following.

• • Express and support your opinion.
• • Make a contribution to the discussion in your own words.

An effective response will contain at least 100 words.

Professor’s question:

This week, we're discussing environmental responsibility. There's a debate on the most effective way to address problems like pollution and waste. Some argue that the focus should be on individual actions, such as recycling and reducing personal consumption. Others contend that only large-scale government and corporate policies can create meaningful, lasting change. Which of these two approaches do you believe is more critical for protecting the environment? Why?

Student response 1:

I feel that individual actions are more important because they create a widespread culture of environmental awareness. When millions of people decide to recycle or use less plastic, the collective impact is enormous. As a result, this public demand can pressure companies and governments to adopt greener policies.

Student response 2:

While individual efforts are good, I believe large-scale policies are far more critical. A single regulation, for example, banning single-use plastics or setting emissions standards for factories, has a much larger and more immediate impact than individual choices. Therefore, we should focus our energy on demanding systemic change from leaders.