Consumption of the world’s resources is increasing

IELTS Writing Task 2 Topic:

The consumption of the world’s resources is increasing at a dangerous rate. What are causes and solutions?

Band 8.0 Model Essay :

Recently, the rapid consumption of the world’s resources such as oil, freshwater or mineral deposits has inflicted detrimental effects on both humankind and other species. In this essay, some causes and solutions to this issue will be cited.

There are a variety of forces that drive this issue. First of all, the populations in many countries, especially the developing ones, have risen tremendously, which speeds up industrialisation to meet the growing demands of the rising number of people. This is clearly reflected in China, where hundreds of factories are established and put into operation on a daily basis to accommodate more than 1.3 billion residents. Second of all, the combination of low awareness of the citizens and lax regulations from the government has contributed to the exhaustion of natural resources in many areas. For example, in the middle highland of Vietnam, which used to lush with countless species of trees, the forest has now been bare due to these two reasons.

Although this is a thorny issue, it can be dealt with by some methods. The first one is imposing population control. It is my opinion that this should be considered temporary as in the long run, it can create an ageing population and poor quality labour force. The second solution is raising the awareness of citizens about the importance of preserving and protecting the world’s resources. This can be done by organizing educational programs or school activities. The third is seeking alternative sources of energy. Although this can be risky and incur high costs, it can bring many promising results. In addition, the government can pass and enforce stricter laws, along with imposing higher taxes on businesses which operate on the use of resources; however, it can stagnate the economy.

All things considered, the excessive use of resources is caused by many factors, and it can be bridled by the aforementioned methods.

Useful Expressions :

There are a variety of forces that drive this issue: There are many reasons for this.

Speed up (v.) make something happen faster.

Lax regulations: regulations that not many people follow because they are not strict.

The exhaustion of natural resources: The fact that natural resources become rarer.

Bare (adj.) not covered by anything

To put something into operation: to run it.

To lush with countless species of trees: to be full of trees.

A thorny issue: a complicated issue.

To incur high costs: to be expensive.

To stagnate the economy: make the economy worse