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Here is the sample response:

For everything from climate change to child labour, the responsibility for solving major societal problems is increasingly being shifted to the individual. This is bad because it paralyses change. This is because personal sacrifice alone cannot be the solution to tackling the climate crisis.

While people are indeed travelling, and consuming more, reaching zero emissions requires very fundamental changes. These can be achieved only by real structural change - by a new industrial revolution. Looking to assign individual responsibilities only risks obstructing the systemic changes that are needed.

Demands for individual action prevents the large-scale change we so urgently need. It is not enough for 5-10% of the population to put time, money and effort into change. We need everyone to turn the tide towards sustainability worldwide. This means, making the remaining 90-95% also put in the efforts, whether they like it or not, and this can be achieved only by regulation.

We don’t expect individuals to take the lead when it comes to other social and economic challenges, such as unemployment. The same is true of the climate crisis. What we need is citizens to demand politicians and institutions for more urgent action, and for politicians and institutions to ensure that everyone is doing their bit in return.

It is naive to think that individual change, while necessary, will be effective. And neither is it moral. Is it right to demand from an Indian farmer that he care about climate? What about the struggling single mother with three children to feed?

I feel that it is absolutely the responsibility of the governments and institutions to take more action against the climate crisis.

Word Count: 274 words

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Things about vocabulary you would do well to know:

1. societal - pertaining to the society

2. zero emissions - bringing pollution to zero

3. paralyse - make something immobile, unable to move

4. naive - foolish, unwise

©Anders Levermann and First Academy