Academic Discussion (Environmental Taxes)
Time Limit: 10 minutes
Instructions: Your professor is teaching a class on environmental science. Write a post responding to the professor's question. Express and support your opinion, and make a contribution to the discussion in your own words. An effective response will contain at least 100 words.
Governments often use taxes to influence behavior. To protect the environment, some have proposed high taxes on air travel or single-use plastics to discourage their use. Critics argue this hurts the economy and unfairly burdens low-income individuals.
Do you think the government should impose high environmental taxes on things like air travel and plastic products? Why or why not?
Yes, strict taxes are necessary. Voluntary measures haven't worked fast enough to stop climate change. If flying becomes expensive, people will choose trains or local vacations. If plastic is taxed, companies will finally innovate sustainable alternatives. The planet's health is more important than convenience.
I worry that these taxes are unfair. Wealthy people won't care about the extra cost and will keep polluting, while regular people won't be able to afford to visit family or buy basic goods. Instead of punishing consumers, the government should subsidize green technologies to make them cheaper.