Debate Prompt
7
Should people lose their jobs
if it helps the environment?
Of course the environment is important, but some say jobs are more important.
What do you think?
What would you think if someone told you
that an animal or a bird was about to become
extinct? You’d want someone to do some-
thing about it, right? But what would you
think if they told you that saving this animal
might cost your parents their jobs? Tough
question? Unfortunately, many communities
across the United States struggle with this
problem every day.
Many types of animals are in danger of
becoming extinct. Saving them sometimes
means closing the businesses that threaten
Endangered species
must be our first priority.
It’s unfortunate when
people lose their jobs, but it’s worse
when animal species become extinct.
The American wilderness is a national
treasure. It belongs to everyone. And
it would be sad to lose any part of it.
More important, the planet’s
environment is very delicate. Losing a
single kind of animal could have terrible
consequences.
Your Turn!
Find Out More: Make a list of jobs that may harm certain parts of the
environment.
50 Debate Prompts for Kids © Daley & Dahlie, Scholastic Teaching Resources
them. Or it means that new businesses can’t
be built on lands that house threatened
animals. And this leads to people losing jobs.
Environmentalists don’t want to see people
out of work. But they also say that nature has
to be protected. Other people say that it’s time
to put human beings first. They say they don’t
want to destroy the environment, but they
think that jobs are more important than
animals.
What do you think? Are endangered species
more important than jobs?
It’s time to put people
first! People shouldn’t
lose their jobs because of
animals. Sure, we should protect the
environment as best we can. But saving
the environment should not put people
out of work. Anyway, environmentalists
always exaggerate. Lots of times
endangered species are just types of
bugs or weeds. It’s bad enough to think
that an endangered owl might cost
people their jobs. But bugs and weeds?
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