Many people believe that human activity is causing the earth’s temperature to rise.  They say that this global warming will have dreadful consequences for our environment, such as drought and flooding. 

What should governments do to help prevent global warming?  Give reasons for your suggestions.

The earth’s temperature is rapidly changing.  As a result there has been a lot of climate change such as heat waves, droughts and floods. Scientists believe that this is the result of human activity, which is polluting the Earth’s atmosphere. This could become a disaster if governments do not act to help prevent global warming. They can act in three ways; by supporting research, by making laws and by keeping the general public informed. 

Firstly, governments can support research. For example, they should encourage companies to develop vehicles that cause less pollution.  They should also support alternative sources of electricity from wind and water rather than from oil and coal.  As well, they should sponsor conferences to discuss the effects of greenhouse gas emissions¹ and possible solutions to the problem.  

Secondly², they should make laws that limit the amount of greenhouse gases that companies can emit.  Private companies should be rewarded for following these laws.  They should also be punished for creating pollution. 

Finally, everybody is affected³ by global warming.  Therefore, it is important that governments involve individuals in the problem solving process. For example they should encourage households to save as much energy as possible by using more efficient light bulbs or less hot water.  They should also encourage the public to recycle, and this should be compulsory⁴ for everyone.  Another way of saving energy is by public transport systems.  Governments should spend money on public transport to make it as easy as possible for the public to save energy. 

In summary, it is clear that there are a lot of things that governments can do to prevent global warming.  They should involve companies, support scientists and encourage individuals to protect the planet.