It's an opinion because it is a belief based on the perspective that the government should be involved in stopping the extinction of animals.
I would probably say that the author used diction to achieve some kind of effect in the first sentence.
A. The teacher stood at the door smiling brightly and welcoming each student to her classroom on the first day of school.
The author's diction, or word choice, in this sentence portrays the teacher as a nice, kind, caring person.