In one to two sentences, explain why governments provide environmental protection. Include the concepts of public services and the free-rider problem in your answer

Governments provide environmental protection as it is considered a public service, as it benefits the entire society by protecting and preserving natural resources and ecosystems. This is necessary to mitigate the free-rider problem, where individuals may benefit from environmental protection efforts without paying for them, leading to inadequate provision of such services if left solely to the market forces.

reword it

Governments offer environmental protection as a public service to safeguard natural resources and ecosystems for the benefit of society as a whole, addressing the free-rider problem where individuals may benefit from these efforts without contributing to their funding or implementation.

Governments provide environmental protection to safeguard public goods and services such as clean air and water that are necessary for the well-being of society as a whole, and to address the free-rider problem where individuals may benefit from environmental protection without contributing to its costs or implementation.