How should laws protect the environment?

Pro: Concern for the environment is an extension (or a logical requirement) of our concern for human beings. If we care for our fellow humans, then we must care for the environment, because humanity is dependent on the world which it inhabits; humanity is a part of that world.

Con: Excessive concern for the environment, manifested in strict governmental regulation of economic activities, can hurt businesses and the people who depend on them. Protection of some aspects of the environment may conflict with some interests of human societies, especially economic development.