Recently, I spent two hours cleaning a narrow mountain path of trash in northern Beijing. Believe it or not, I filled two large bin bags by the time I came down from the mountain. The experience left me sad not because of the labor I had to put in to clear the garbage, but because people had indiscriminately strewn the mountain with trash.

I have been wondering since then, how could people be so inconsiderate. Do we want to turn China into a huge garbage dump? Will people do nothing to prevent such a nightmare from becoming reality? Does China have enough municipal workers to clean up the rural and urban areas?

Volunteers, I am convinced, will always be there to clean up a place. But in these days of urban comfort topped by the Internet, the number of people ready to get their hands dirty for a cause is diminishing.

I think educating children is an important way of protecting the environment. At least, it will ensure that future generations don't follow the irresponsible ways of their elders.

Since we no longer have the luxury of time, we have to impose strict penalties on people breaking civic rules. For example, people who throw garbage, including cigarette butts, on pavements or even outside dustbins should be fined heavily. The authorities should not hesitate to impose severe penalties for environmental offenses if they want to give a better world to the next generation.

We cannot leave the earth for a better place, so we have to protect and respect the environment that we have been handed down by our forefathers.

Nicolas Redureau, via e-mail

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(China Daily 04/28/2014 page11)