Recycling is now an essential measure: it is time for everyone in society to become more responsible towards the environment.
To what extent do you agree or disagree with this statement?

It is hard to deny the importance of recycling in the modern world. One has only to visit the nearest landfill site to understand the scale of the problem. Yet at the same time, recycling is not always the cheapest option. Nor is it the only issue with respect to the environment.

On the one hand, there is a lot that can be done in terms of household recycling. Kerbside collections of newspapers, bottles and cans trim the amount of rubbish that has to be consigned to landfill. Some councils even collect plastic bottles and recycle them, although it is commonly believed that the recycling of plastic is too costly a process.

Many people are lazy when it comes to recycling and opt to throw everything away instead of separating out materials to be recycled. To counteract this, fines or taxes may have to be introduced. A new tax has also been suggested on non-returnable bottles.

At the same time, there are other pollutants of our planet that have nothing to do with waste disposal. Air travel is now widely seen as the biggest threat to the environment and, unless higher taxes are put on aviation fuel, the situation will get worse. However, this kind of decision should be taken in an international forum and it is vital that the world's largest nations (and heaviest users of fossil fuels) join this discussion.

It is hoped that our politicians will come together and agree upon a viable strategy for the world which will allow future generations to enjoy the beauty and diversity of our planet.

"Human beings are rapidly destroying the planet Earth."
Do you agree?

Many people believe that human beings arc destroying the planet Earth. I have to agree with this statement and I believe there is plenty of evidence for it if we look at some of man's agricultural and industrial practices. In addition, the use of nuclear energy further increases the danger to the world.

Man's agricultural practices arc severely damaging the environment. The incorrect use of land causes the formation of deserts; this is a particularly serious problem in Australia and the USA. Diversion of water from lakes and rivers for irrigation can also cause severe problems. The use of water from the Aral sea in the Soviet Union is an example of this.

Industrial wastes have caused critical pollution of water and the atmosphere. Atmospheric pollution has resulted in the 'greenhouse effect' — a phenomenon that is resulting in a dangerous increase in the temperature of the world. Similarly chemical pollution is damaging the ozone layer of the Earth. This results in dangerous ultraviolet rays entering the Earth's atmosphere.

Nuclear power also poses serious problems. One nuclear bomb can have devastating long-term effects. Even if nuclear power is used for peaceful purposes, the wastes are so toxic and so long-lasting that we are endangering the lives of generations to come.

Some people may think that improved technology will solve the problems of the Earth. Others believe that man will eventually leam to cooperate and use resources intelligently. However, I think this is naive, wishful thinking, and from all the evidence, man is destroying the Earth.

The rising levels of congestion and air pollution found in most of the world's cities can be attributed directly to the rapidly increasing number of private cars in use. In order to reverse this decline in the quality of life in cities, attempts must be made to encourage people to use their cars less and public transport more.
Discuss possible ways to encourage the use of public transport.

Anyone who lives in a city is aware of the increasing number of cars on the road and the kinds of problems this creates: traffic jams, air pollution and longer commuting periods. As economies grow and access to cars spreads to increasing numbers of people, this trend is likely to worsen. The solution, it would seem, is for governrnment to encourage the use of public transport in urban areas, thus decreasing dependence on the car.

One way to stimulate public transport use is to make private car use more expensive and inconvenient. The introduction of tolls along urban motorways has been successfully employed in many cities. Other such measures are high-priced permits for parking in urban areas and the restriction of parking to a limited number of cars. Faced with high costs or no place to park, commuters would perhaps be more willing to abandon their cars in favour of buses or trains.

There are also less punishing ways of spurring public transport use. The construction of free carparks at suburban train stations has proven successful in quite a number of countries. This allows commuters to drive part of the way, but take public transport into the central, most congested, urban areas.

Indeed, making public transport more comfortable and convenient should work to attract more commuters and decrease traffic congestion. Public transport that is convenient and comfortable retains its passengers, much like any business that satisfies its customers. The more commuters committed to taking public transport, the less congestion on city streets.