Some people think that companies and individuals, rather than the government, should pay for cleaning up pollution. To what extent do you agree or disagree with this statement?

It is irrefutable that companies,

individuals

and

government

all have their own responsibilities in cleaning up the

pollution

.

However

, the way to involve different institutions or

individuals

in combating

pollution

should be different in accordance. In my opinion, charging companies and

individuals

could have better results than charging the

government

. Disposal expenses in proportion to the output could raise companies’ environmental awareness. Admittedly, it is inevitable for certain industries

such

as the power industry which is the backbone of the industrial world to generate combustible pollutants in the air or discharge wastewater to the aquatic system.

Nevertheless

, obligations still lie on the manufacturer’s shoulders they should try to find the optimal way of producing to minimize their contamination.

Hence

, if removal costs are imposed on manufacturers, they will be encouraged to lessen their

pollution

production to pay less money. Monetary penalties could

also

dissuade

individuals

from polluting the environment.

For example

, being charged for using plastic shopping bags, consumers would consider using reusable shopping bags

instead

.

Consequently

,

pollution

would be largely reduced.

Furthermore

, these measures could

also

help

individuals

to reconsider their behaviours and the resultant impacts on the environment, fostering a good sense of protecting the environment.

However

, completely relying on disposal expenses could endanger consumers’ benefits.

Firstly

, when charged a large amount of money, producers and suppliers will increase their product’s price to mitigate the burden of regulatory costs, which shifts the pressure on buyers.

As a result

, the consumers would feel unfairly treated since they seem to be charged twice for the same cause. So the

government

should be involved in administrating the whole process and

this

comprises the reason why it’s better not to ask them to simply pay for the

pollution

. In conclusion, the engagement of manufacturers and

individuals

in cleaning up payments has several positive effects

while

requiring the

government

to pay for the environmental contamination might not have the planned effect.