Tough choices Main Idea Making decisions about the best way to provide people with energy is very difficult. It often means choosing between alternatives that all have environmental, social, and economic costs. Identify and explain the pros and cons of different alternatives. Make and justify a group choice of a preferred alternative. Materials a copy of the hydro or oil information sheet for each group.
Procedure Ask students to form four groups.
In this cooperative decision-making activity, groups will role play government advisory committees considering developers' suggestions for hydroelectric dams and oil transport routes. Two groups will play hydroelectric committees, and two groups will play oil transport committees. Give each group information cards describing the key points of each alternative. Each card includes a map of the regions affected as well as information on cost, area of land that will be damaged, number of human homes lost and other impacts of the project. Have each group debate the pros and cons of the three plans for their project, using information from their project information sheet.