Describe an environmental law you would like to introduce in your country

Speaker: Finn

The environmental law I’d like to introduce is probably a bit controversial, but I think it’d be fun. Basically, anyone caught littering in public would have to spend one entire Saturday cleaning the exact area where they dropped the rubbish. No fine, no warning—just a full day of picking up trash.

I came up with this idea because I always see people throwing plastic bottles or food wrappers on the ground, especially after festivals or public events. What annoys me is that many people do it because they know someone else will clean up after them.

I don’t think most people are scared of a small fine. They just pay it and move on. But imagine being forced to spend your Saturday collecting rubbish while everyone walks past you. That would be embarrassing enough to make people think twice.

I also think it would have an educational effect. The first time you pick up hundreds of cigarette butts or plastic cups from a park, you suddenly realize how much waste people generate. It’s easy to ignore pollution when you don’t have to deal with it personally.

What I like most about this law is that it solves two problems at once. It keeps public spaces cleaner, and it teaches people a lesson without being overly harsh. Plus, I think it would create some hilarious stories. Imagine explaining to your friends that you can’t hang out because you’re serving your ‘littering sentence’ in the local park.

Overall, I know it sounds a bit unusual, but I genuinely think it would make people more responsible and improve the environment in a practical way.

Speaker: Blondie

If I could introduce any environmental law, it would be a tree-planting law with a financial reward attached to it. I’d call it the “Keep It Alive” Tax Incentive. Basically, every household would have to plant one tree a year. If they didn’t have enough space, like people living in apartments, they could sponsor one through their local council instead. The interesting part is that you wouldn’t get rewarded for simply planting the tree. If it’s still alive after a year, you’d receive a tax deduction. If it survives another year, the deduction would increase. But if the tree dies, you lose the benefit and have to start over.

I came up with this idea because I’ve noticed that people love the idea of helping the environment, but they don’t always enjoy the maintenance that comes with it. Whenever there’s a big tree-planting event, everyone gets excited, takes a few photos, plants a sapling, and then moves on. Fast forward six months, and a lot of those trees are dead because nobody bothered to water them or look after them properly.

I think this law would make a real difference because it focuses on keeping trees alive rather than just increasing the number of trees planted. Over time, we’d have greener neighborhoods, cleaner air, and more shade during the summer. It would also encourage people to think about environmental protection as a long-term responsibility rather than a one-day activity.

What I like most, though, is that it uses human self-interest in a positive way. I know my dad pretty well, and if spending five minutes a week watering a tree could save him money on his taxes, that tree would become his pride and joy. He’d probably check on it more often than he checks on me.

Overall, I think it would be a practical, effective, and surprisingly fun way to get more people involved in protecting the environment.