PRO

  • PRO

    I will take the pro side. ... I'm looking for someone to...

    Climate Shift

    Resolved: Climate Shift is real; Climate shift is influenced by man; Climate shift ought to be a legitimate concern of those who care about the future of humanity. I will take the pro side. The BOP lies on both sides. First round is acceptance only. Second round is construction only. No new arguments may be made in the final round. No new rebuttals may be made in the final round. I'm looking for someone to legitimately and intellectually debate this subject.

    • https://www.debate.org/debates/Climate-Shift/2/
  • PRO

    Resolved: Climate Shift is real; Climate shift is...

    Climate shift

    Resolved: Climate Shift is real; Climate shift is influenced by man; Climate shift ought to be a legitimate concern of those who care about the future of humanity. I will take the pro side. The BOP lies on both sides. First round is acceptance only. Second round is construction only.

    • https://www.debate.org/debates/Climate-shift/1/
  • PRO

    therefore you can go ahead and drop his contentions, now...

    Developed Coutries have a moral obligation to mitigate the effects of climate change.

    So my oppenents case is all about attacking me, he has not included any evidence to suppot his attacks, not only this but he also has failed to rebut his own case. therefore you can go ahead and drop his contentions, now onto my own case. for my contention one his only attack on it was that i was ignoring the uncontrollable changes, yet i have mentioned before that cooling the ocean floor would actually solve those "uncontrollable changes" that he has no evidence to support. for his second attack he said that places like norway are in debt alot, but in my conclusion i state that we would actually gain money from this therefore that arguement is no longer valid. for his last and final attack says that climate change is a moral right, yet his definition of it was invalid. he also said that my definition was wrong and didn't offer a counter solution.

  • PRO

    However, as discussed in the video below by Peter...

    Manmade global climate change is real and a threat.

    First, I would like to thank my opponent for debating this topic with me in a respectful manner. Courage is needed to go against the majority. Second, I would like to note my opponent's response is very dense. To disprove my opponent's arguments I need to take my opponent's statements a few sentences at a time. "Your first argument, "Carbon dioxide is at 404.48 parts per million and the temperature has increased 1.4 degrees Fahrenheit since 1880." That is not a scientific argument. It is a correlation. There is no REAL evidence to suggest that Co2 impact temperature." rammer5678 Yes, you are correct as presented it is a correlation. I will now show that there is causation. ""When the Earth comes out of an ice age, the warming is not initiated by CO2 but by changes in the Earth's orbit. The warming causes the oceans to release CO2. The CO2 amplifies the warming and mixes through the atmosphere, spreading warming throughout the planet. So CO2 causes warming AND rising temperature causes CO2 rise. Overall, about 90% of the global warming occurs after the CO2 increase."" [2] There should be no doubt that CO2 causes global warming. "Especially when 25% of all Co2 produced by man has been released in the last 20 years and in that time there has been NO NET WARMING!!!" rammer5678 All caps always helps prove science. Temperatures have risen. In 2005, 2010, 2014, and 2015 were hotter than 1998. "Even if we ignore long term trends and just look at the record-breakers, 2015, 2014, 2010, and 2005 were hotter than 1998. The myth of no warming since 1998 was based on the satellite record estimates of the temperature of the atmosphere. However, as discussed in the video below by Peter Sinclair, even that argument is no longer accurate. The satellites show warming since 1998 too." [3] Temperatures have risen in the last twenty years. "You also make it sound like 1.4 degrees is what was predicted by the models showing Co2 causing temperature. I wasn't." rammer5678 You are correct that not all the models were correct. The overall premise is correct that the planet is getting warmer due to CO2. As for your link from wattsupwiththat.com, this is a known climate change denial site. The site is run by Willard Anthony Watts. He is a paid AGW denier, Anthropogenic Global Warming denier. "Willard Anthony Watts (Anthony Watts) is a blogger, weathercaster and non-scientist, paid AGW denier who runs the website wattsupwiththat.com. He does not have a university qualification and has no climate credentials other than being a radio weather announcer. His website is parodied and debunked at the website wottsupwiththat.com Watts is on the payroll of the Heartland Institute, which itself is funded by polluting industries.[1]" [4] Your source is not credible. Voters please give me the more credible source points if nothing else. "You make a reference to cigarette companies. Please remember that we are talking about Man Made Global Warming, not cigarettes. Keep your own habits to yourself." rammer5678 Yes, this is true. Nevertheless this should impact the resolution since it shows historical evidence of how malice and greed can hold science at bay. Cigarette companies show the depths that people will sink to. "Al Gores, "The Inconvenient Truth" predicted that all the arctic ice caps would be melted by 2013. In case you haven't noticed, the ice caps are still there. He also predicted the polar bears would all have died out by now. That hasn't happened." Rammer5678 Not every prediction in the Inconvenient Truth came true. Nevertheless polar bears are struggling and many ice caps are melting. [5] As for the polar bears this is due to hunting restrictions and bans. " The introduction of the International Agreement on the Conservation of Polar Bears in 1973, which restricted or even banned hunting in some circumstances, consequently resulted in an increase in polar bear numbers." [6] As you can see, I've destroyed all your arguments while proving causation of CO2 to increase temperature. A few notes, the polar bears are still in danger in the long term. [7] The ice caps melting has provided less hunting ground for them. You also make some inflammatory remarks like Al Gore's documentary was riddled with lies. Many of the predictions have come true. Also, there is a large difference between a falsehood and a lie. The models could not take in every single factor. As time prorgresses we get more and more accurate models. You have provided no evidence that the documentary was manpiulated. A person with the best of intentions can come to the wrong conclusion. Thanks for debating. You are making me work for victory. Sources. 2. http://www.skepticalscience.com... 3. http://www.skepticalscience.com... 4. http://www.sourcewatch.org... 5. http://www.nasa.gov... 6. https://www.skepticalscience.com... 7. http://www.nytimes.com...

    • https://www.debate.org/debates/Manmade-global-climate-change-is-real-and-a-threat./8/
  • PRO

    Not because of any human input. ... If the reef dies off...

    Climate change and global warming are both total nonsense and drivel concepts.

    The Sahara Desert started growing 7 million years ago due to changes in the ocean currents and movement of continents into different climate zones. Not because of any human input. The Great barrier reef is always in state of flux and movement. If the reef dies off in the northern sector it grows equally in the southern region. Bleaching is mostly a result of tourists who take away important shell fish that keep coral predators in check. Once you remove all the shell fish that eat the Crown of Thorns Star Fish you get reefs being eaten away until they go all white. This is nothing to do with the climate.

  • PRO

    For the pro to win this debate, Pro must tender a...

    Climate Shift

    What a rude and poorly thought response. Please, do not insult me when I am seeking only an intellectual debate. Framework If con did not like the framework of the debate (which is a fairly standard format) then they should not have accepted the debate. Con does not understand what, in debate, a resolution is. If I may offer some info to con, a resolution is a statement that the Pro side must argue in agreement with, and the Con side must argue in disagreement with. The resolution contends three cases. Climate shift is real; Climate shift is influenced by man; Climate shift ought to be a legitimate concern of those who care about the future of humanity. As it is apparent that my opponent has put no real thought forward as to what this means, I'll attempt to shed light into the dark deep abyssal grotto of ignorance that is the argument of my opponent. For the pro to win this debate, Pro must tender a compelling argument that every case presented by the resolution is agreeable with. The first point regards the reality of climate shift or global warming (which is a common point of debate). The second point regards the cause of climate shift, if it is indeed real. The final point regards the impact of climate shift (again, if it is indeed real). If my opponent is confused as to what climate shift is, then I shall provide a definition. This debate regards climate shift or what is more colloquially referred to as Global warming. "the rise in the average temperature of Earth's atmosphere and oceans since the late 19th century and its projected continuation."(1) The framework is the structure of the debate. The rules. It is always relevent. Pro's Case My entire argument is almost totally unrebutted. Con only makes a weak attempt to discredit a single point. Overall, a weak argument made by the Con that consists primarly of aggressive rantlike points that all lack proper substantiation. Cons argument also fails to meet the BOP. Conduct ought to be awarded to pro for cons flagrant disregard for the rules of the debate. As con failed to cite any sources but one, sources ought to be awarded to pro as well. Arguments are up to the judges, but I would remind that judges that almost my entire argument is unrebutted, and, according to the framework of the debate, any new arguments or rebuttals that the con may try to make in the final round are to be disregarded completely. VOTE PRO! 1.http://en.wikipedia.org...

    • https://www.debate.org/debates/Climate-Shift/2/
  • PRO

    Sorry for assuming your gender but I didn't realize that...

    Man Made Climate Change Is Fake

    *Sorry for assuming your gender but I didn't realize that I wrote "he" instead of "they" until the very end! :) Im going to start my argument by countering my opponents observations. His first observation states that he will debate that humans are contributing to the already natural processes but my question is contributing how much. There is not doubt in my mind that Co2 causes warming. The question is whether this warming is significant or not. To clarify, I believe the warming Co2 creates is insignificant and barely has an effect on climate. His second observation states that quoting a scientific consensus is science. He is correct in saying that a consensus is more scientific then a home experiment but a scientific paper or research article is better then both. Especially when there is so much controversy about the validity of the consensus. My opponent then addresses my first argument and states, "I will provide empirical evidence that in fact it has a huge impact if not the biggest" yet he provides no evidence after this claim. I run into the same problem when he addresses my second claim. He says, " there is other evidence that proves CO2 does have an impact" while providing NO scientific evidence. (keep in mind that correlations do NOT show causation so giving a graph of temperature and Co2 rising is not sufficient evidence) He also says that computer models are not always going to be 100% correct which is true but you would expect the predictions made by said models to be closer to the observations. The fact that only a small majority of the models show similar trends to our observations indicate that something is wrong with the models. In my opponents addressing of my third statement, he makes a valid case, pointing out the fact that Co2 increases atmospheric humidity but disregards the fact that water vapor then condenses into clouds which then reflect heat and light energy away from the earth, therefore cooling it down. I mentioned this at the end of my argument under the label, "The Final proof" where I explained how cosmic rays cause cooling and why this disproves the greenhouse effect. My opponent then says, "my opponent is stating we would need more CO2 to see an impact." Although I did not state this before, I do agree with this statement. My opponent says this is a unscientific claim but ignores that planets, such as Venus, with extraordinary high (96%) levels of Co2 in their atmosphere are warmer because of it. Nasa says that venus would not be as hot as it is without Co2 or methane. My opponent also says there is an undoubted correlation between Co2 and warming but this statement depends on what time period you are looking at. For example, according to Joe Bastardi, Co2 has a correlation strength to temperature of just .43 (1895-2007). Other sources say that the correlation strength is just .07 or .02 (1998-2007). according to Joe Bastardi, Co2 has a correlation strength to temperature of just .43 (1895-2007). Compare this correlation strength to the correlation strength of sunspots and the ocean, .57 (1900-2004) and .85 (1900-2007). As you can see, the correlation strength of Co2 compared to other correlations is anything but strong. Another thing to point out is that over longer periods of time, Co2 has almost no correlation to temperature. I meant to put this graph in my argument above but I posted the wrong link so here is the evidence supporting my claim: http://www.paulmacrae.com... Then my opponent states the Co2 has not been higher then today within the last 800,000 years. This is true, but there is a problem this points out. The temperature HAS been higher then today. This just proves that temperature acts independent of Co2. Co2 has not been higher then today while temperature has risen up to 4 degrees Celsius hotter then today. http://jonova.s3.amazonaws.com... Then, in my opponents fifth point, he states, "Today though, we are seeing this clearly attributed to CO2 in the air from humans as the temperature goes beyond what would be seen as natural." This is just an untrue statement. The majority of the worlds lifespan has been spent with no ice on the poles and the dinosaurs lived in an environment that was much hotter then today. Also, as I mentioned earlier, in the past 1000 years, during the medieval warming period, temperature was 2 degrees Celsius warmer then today and that was only in the last 1000 years! Thanks for acknowledging that the political arguments are irrelevant, I have argued with many people about this topic before and the political arguments always come up so I wanted to include some just to ward people off if that is what they were planning to debate. In my opponents case he just states everything that I have already disproven. He says greenhouse gasses cause warming but Co2 is a very weak greenhouse gas and there is not much of it in the atmosphere. He says humans are netting 15 gigatons of Co2 into the atmosphere which is true but he doesn't explain why, if there is so much Co2 in the air, there has been no significant warming in the last 2 decades. Especially when 25% of all human caused Co2 emissions occurred during that time period. Another problem is that the chart he provided of the carbon cycle is wrong. I have seen charts like it before and the problem with them is that they don't explain rises in Co2, sometimes over periods of millions of years, in the past. According to that chart, Co2 would be on a constant decline. We know this is not true because looking at a graph he provided us (http://assets.climatecentral.org...) Co2 is constantly in balance with the environment. It is not on an overall decrease. To my opponents final message, I don't know why the atmosphere is warming if it is not caused by Co2. I am not even going to try and come up with other reasons because the climate is constantly changing and to complex for me to completely understand. I have seen the video you sent me, along with all the other videos in that college course. The problem with the video is that it relies on the idea that Co2 causes warming. Without any significant warming affects, how do they know the "fingerprint" it leaves? This just causes a loop back to the debate about whether it actually causes warming or not. After reading your responses and acknowledging the claims you have made, I see no real scientific evidence of man-made global warming. Yes, there are correlations and yes, there are consensuses, but none of these are true pieces of evidence. True evidence would be performing a controlled experiment and testing only 1 variable at a time. As I explained in my first argument, this is not possible. In conclusion, I await your next argument and wish you the best of luck in debating me.

    • https://www.debate.org/debates/Man-Made-Climate-Change-Is-Fake/1/
  • PRO

    The climate is not changing and if it was, Humans didn't...

    Climate change and global warming are both total nonsense and drivel concepts.

    The climate is not changing and if it was, Humans didn't cause it.

  • PRO

    Climate change is already costing lives

    as the developed world, fund African climate adaptation

    Climate change is already costing lives

  • PRO

    However, first I would like to lay down ground rules. ......

    Behavioral change is the key to environmental sustainability

    I will go ahead and make my case since the con has the first argument in each round. However, first I would like to lay down ground rules. The Pro (me) will have the responsibility of demonstrating why changes to behavior key to environmental sustainability, particularly in regards to However, first I would like to lay down ground rules. The Pro (me) will have the responsibility of demonstrating why changes to behavior key to environmental sustainability, particularly in regards to climate change, however I will touch on other areas. The con will have presumption. In the first and second rounds both teams may bring up new arguments, in the third and fourth rounds, no new arguments, no exceptions. Fourth round, both teams will respond to any final arguments made previously, and conclude their arguments and show why they should win the debate. Additionally we must define several terms before we begin. 1) Behavior shall refer to how individuals and society act and function. 2) Change shall be defined as an alteration 3) Environmental Sustainability shall refer to maintenence of the factors and practices that contribute to preserving the quality of the environment, and its ability to support human life, on a long term basis. Moving on to my arguments. First Argument: Mitigating Climate Change requires behavioral changes Climate change is by far the greatest environmental issue we face in our world today. Climate change is caused by rising global tempertrues (ie Global Warming) which is caused by the accumulation of greenhouse gases (chiefly CO2) in the atmostphere. Human activity has been linked to the accumulation of Greenhouse gases in the atmostphere, through our consumption of fossil fuels. According to the UN, humans must severly limit CO2 emissions in order to combat climate change. This will mean that humans will need to end the practice of burning fossil fuels and transition to renewable energy. This would be a behavioral change as fossil fuels have been used to power societies since the industrial revolution. http://www.theguardian.com... Second Argument: Over consumption harms biodiversity, Biodiversity is key In our world today, fish stocks are being rapdily depleted thanks to overfishing. It is belived 70% of fish stocks have been depleted or exhausted. Bluefin Tuna stocks alone have dropped 96%. This is havgin serious harmful impacts on marine biodiversity. Biodiversity is vital to earth's "life support systems", and losing it has severe consequences of the long term sustainability of life on earth. In order to stop this loss of biodiversity, we must curtail our consumption of fish, thereby reducing demand and allowing stocks to replinish. http://www.seaweb.org... http://www.un.org...

CON

  • CON

    Pro's rebuttal of my "consensus" of scientific...

    Global climate change should not be a major factor in US energy policy

    My apologies for the forfeit, my ability to devote time to a strictly recreational activity is limited, but I would like to continue the discussion in the forums where time-limits are not as dire. I will not introduce any new arguments in the final section, but I am going to dismiss Pro's concluding statements. Pro continues to maintain that "no one" can stand behind GCC. I provided an extensive list of the world's foremost relevant institutions, and they all stand behind GCC as good science. I do not wish to dilute this point in rhetoric, so I will leave it be. Our fossil fuel resources need not be wasted as Pro insists; there are other uses for it, after all. Perhaps China will not use us as an example, per se, but at the very least it would bring us out of the "complete hypocrite" position. We cannot make any headway as long as we are part of the problem. Pro's rebuttal of my "consensus" of scientific institutions is suspect. I am honestly a little unsure as to what exactly he is trying to say: "if only the MIT scientists and the list in Wikipedia are considered, that is enough to prevent skeptics from being casually dismissed" - that seems to strengthen my position, doesn't it? His skepticism about Pro's rebuttal of my "consensus" of scientific institutions is suspect. I am honestly a little unsure as to what exactly he is trying to say: "if only the MIT scientists and the list in Wikipedia are considered, that is enough to prevent skeptics from being casually dismissed" - that seems to strengthen my position, doesn't it? His skepticism about climate modelling doesn't seem to be shared by the scientific community, so what exactly makes him smarter than the world's scientists? His Gieger counter analogy is unconvincing, as it clearly doesn't reflect, analogously, the GCC policy scenario. A more convincing analogy would involve efforts to curb production of radioactive substances, not the proliferation of tracking mechanisms thereafter. Pro goes into internal politics with NASA to discredit their conclusions, and claims they have "lost all credibility." Pro's claims are conspiratorial in nature; he seems to indicate that political entities are putting biased people in key positions to influence the scientific literature they produce. This "Climate-Gate" tactic is all that the right-wing has left to battle the overwhelming amount of research coming out in favor of GCC. They cannot defeat the scientific community, so they simply discredit them in the eyes of the public. Since scientists are by nature powerless, their "consensus" is moot and nothing that they propose gets done. Pro criticizes my sources, which are in complete harmony with what any scientific institution or university would maintain, yet uses laughable sources himself. Wattsupwiththat.com? Alex Jones? What is this stuff? The good sources he does use are mostly just to either quote the pro-GCC community or to make indirect points to base external conclusions off of (e.g., citing how much was spent on AIDS). He rebuts my plant evolution argument by referencing a wiki page which says nothing about plants not being able to adapt to Earth's C02 levels in time (would any person actually believe that plants are mal-adapted to their biological environment?). He insists he's quoted "literally hundreds" of articles, but to that I would only reiterate his point that consensus does not yield truth. In my case, at least my consensus is that of the respected scientific community.

  • CON

    Yes, humans give off heat, but unless you can prove that...

    global climate change is human caused

    For the record- I believe in Global Warming (not all theories, but the basic premise of most). What I don't believe in is feeding the conservative view of global warming with lackluster arguments in favor like "humans are causing the rise in global temperatures" which can be easily debated against. I will debate against my opponents simple statements with simple statements of my own, as well as a rebuttal. "Humans are causing the rise in clobal temperature" -This is impossible. Yes, humans give off heat, but unless you can prove that our collective body temperatures are somehow raising global temperatures, then this statement cannot be true. " Humans are causing the rise in clobal temperature, which if not stopped will result in global warming." -The natural cycle of global warming cannot be stopped. For thousands of years the Earth has had a warming period in which the ice caps melt, the sea levels rise, and weather patterns are drastically affected which in result cause global cooling- the Earth's natural protection mechanism which brings about periodic ice ages. Because of the dynamic between our atmospherical makeup, our proximity to the sun, and other factors like the moon's effect on tides- global warming cannot be stopped.

    • https://www.debate.org/debates/global-climate-change-is-human-caused/1/
  • CON

    People made statements that humans are to blame and then...

    The American government should take an active role in stopping climate change

    I would like to thank my opponent for starting this wonderful debate topic. I know it is an issue he and I are both very passionate about, though on opposing sides and I look forward to a wonderful debate with lots of information over the next three rounds. Before I get into my opening statement I need to already correct a statement made by my opponent. He claims "[1]. Scientists are certain that climate change, at least very significantly, caused by humans [2]. As I always say when I debate religion, you can believe whatever you want, but it's ridiculous to say that the scientific consensus is wrong when you have little to no evidence." This could not be further from the truth. In point of fact, there is little to no evidence that global warming is caused by humans. A random statement, such as, "Pigs on mars are blue" cannot be stated and then give the burden of proof to the opposing side and request that they are the ones who provide proof that you are wrong. This is exactly what has happened with global warming. People made statements that humans are to blame and then when questioned about such things they comment that the other side has no proof that it isn't true. So before we begin talking about regulations we must understand 1) there is no clear proof that global warming has started or continues due to humans and 2) the burden of proof is with the accuser and has yet to be shown beyond a reasonable doubt. My opponent continues by saying "Now, since we know that global warming is caused by humans..." and once again, I need to comment and request that we not use such false statements as fact until clearly proven, which is not the case currently. For starters, in 2009, NASA has proven that we had the fastest growth of ice production in the Arctic (http://www.treehugger.com...). A main claim by global warming supporters is that this ice is melting due to global warming, so if it is now freezing, has global warming ended?! I find it to be important to be clear on this point, global warming caused by humans has not yet been proven. Until that point is more proven, we cannot advice to regulations on an unproven fact. I will continue with other points brought up by my opponent as he talks about regulation of "3 million people". My guess is that he is talking about American People and also that he meant to type a number closer to 305 million. If that is the case then yes I agree it would be hard to have 305 million people all change the way they live for something which they don't know to be a reality, but I do not agree that government regulation on their private lives is acceptable. I understand that my opponent thinks taxes will fix the problem. While taxes on shopping bags and businesses could limit the way they they practice, it is by no means a guarantee. Couldn't these people simply pay the extra fee and continue their way of life as they currently are? Absolutely. So if extra taxes are not the correct answer, what is? Should the government have the right to enter everyone's home and remove items they feel are not environmentally friendly? Or should they continue to increase taxes higher and higher on those who don't comply until they finally submit? When something so unproven and unclear is being discussed, I find it quite naive to already discuss regulations on the American public without proof of a problem. Arctic Ice has actually increased about 43% from 1980 to 2009 (http://nsidc.org...) and I am strongly against regulating the American public on a fallacy. In addition to this, while it is argued that Americans are causing more of this problem than most, it is agreed that they are still a small percentage in relation to the rest of the whole world. So why should America be punished if the rest of the globe is not? I cannot stress strongly enough, without clear proof from the opposition, American citizens not be singled out and punished any more than they already are. And I would also request my opponent to cease with his scare tactics such as "how it (global warming) will kill us". I don't find this to be the place for such tactics, surely not for something so unproven, but maybe that's just me.

  • CON

    This debate is already going on here. ......

    Climate Change is real and caused by humans

    This debate is already going on here. (http://www.debate.org...) Please don't vote.

  • CON

    Resulting in associated moving costs, If there is even...

    "Fixing the Climate" should be a Low Priority for the USA

    Happy to think with you today. With such a character limited debate (3k) I'm going to have to be brief on each of these complex points. If it feels I'm being terse, Please understand that is why. The debate over climate change does not exist. It is changing. The debate is on how much of an effect humans have on it. 98% of climate scientists say we have an effect. The question is not about a delayed catastrophe or not. It is about the magnitude of the catastrophe. Some catastrophes are worse than others. If we can diminish a $4T catastrophe to a $2T catastrophe by spending $1T this is worth it. And that is only if you're prioritizing MONEY not MORALS. The more we spend now to diminish the catastrophe the more we save in the long term when the catastrophe peaks. And again, As a species, Much less a country, Preserving our environment ought to be a priority. It is not about money itself. So, Saying 'delayed' is wrong. It is about the magnitude. A 1. 5C increase in global climate temperatures will be a small catastrophe. A 3C increase is massive. A 4C increase would see much of our current pleasures destroyed. Here's a bit of a list of consequences. Feel free to select several to expand on. 1. Sea levels rise. This reduces available land. It puts many coastal cities underwater, Causing many people to be forced to move and many billions in damage over the course of the next 100 years. 2. Saltwater increases globally due to the melted ice. Freshwater may become tainted. Results in less drinking water. 3. The reduction in land will swallow up many islands, Forcing entire countries to become refugees. If you think we have an immigration problem now, Wait until the crisis occurs. 4. Animals go extinct or have habitats reduced drastically. Breaking the food chain can have consequences all the way up that chain, Including us. 5. The reduction in land decreases available farmland. The increase in climate temperature changes the locations of optimal growing areas for crops. Resulting in associated moving costs, If there is even optimal farmland available. This results in lower food production which results in famine and malnutrition. 6. The increased distance of sea before hurricanes hit land would empower hurricanes as well has have them hit locations that are not used to hurricanes. Associated costs, Again. More powerful hurricanes than we've seen before. 7. Increased temperatures would likely lead to droughts and increases in wildfires. Resulting in less trees to absorb pollutants and give us oxygen, Increasing air pollution. Associated costs can already be felt in California where the air is causing real human problems. These are a small fraction of the problems. All of which can be reduced or empowered based on the decision of the US. To say that terraforming the planet that we live on, That changing the global climate is an issue that should be a LOW priority for the US is absolutely absurd. May your thoughts be clear, -Thoht

  • CON

    Cap and Trade is a domestic program and has no direct...

    The U. S. adopting Cap and Trade will have a significant effect on climate.

    This is the last round and I will condense this debate. First, I would like to thank my opponent for this debate. This is the complete list of disagreements: 1. Is the UN part of the US? 2. Will Cap and Trade work? If both are yes, then you vote PRO. Else, you vote CON. 1. As we look at the structure of the website, it immediately becomes clear that the section "Implement an economy-wide cap-and-trade program to reduce greenhouse gas emissions 80 percent by 2050." is separate from the section "Make the U.S. a Leader on Climate Change." http://my.barackobama.com... All of Obama's goals are not included in Obama's Cpap and Trade Policy. For example, Obama's tax policy is not part of Cap and Trade. Cap and Trade is a domestic program and has no direct effect on other countries. Its indirect effect is driving our emmissions overseas, which is also part of this planet and therefore has a net effect of zero on the global climate. Overall temperature difference after Obama Cap and Trade = -0.118584 degrees Fahrenheit. This is much less than .25 Degrees Fahrenheit. Therefore, this effect is not significant. Though international policy may or may not effect climate as well, this is not part of his cap and trade plan. The full details of his plan are: "Implement an economy-wide cap-and-trade program to reduce greenhouse gas emissions 80 percent by 2050. The Obama-Biden cap-and-trade policy will require all pollution credits to be auctioned, and proceeds will go to investments in a clean energy future, habitat protections, and rebates and other transition relief for families." This is his plan. Cap and Trade is, again, domestic (in the U.S. only). 2. Oil and Gas companies were only one example of companies that will just go oversees when taxed out of this country. There is a lessening reason for them to stay here as regulation and taxation increase. A company plans to max out profits. In order to do this, they will go to a country with less regulation and less taxation. No problem. More profits. No matter what country they are in, they cannot go without pollution. A government policy isn't going to change that. My opponent has also made the claim that oil companies make big profits and would not be effected to a major degree by this program. However, this is not true, either. Oil companies already pay more in taxes than they make as profits. http://seekingalpha.com... However, some countries do not tax oil companies, but subsidize them instead. So, a smart oil company that wants to maximize profits would... I urge voters to drop bias and vote CON because Cap and Trade's purpose is lost. It has such a minimal effect on climate and has such a harmful effect on the economy. I thank my opponent for this debate.

  • CON

    That’s an increase, but by far not as much as the...

    Unconventional oil increases climate change

    Research done by independent energy consultants IHS CERA finds that unconventional oil from Canada’s tar sands would emit 5% to 15% more carbon dioxide ‘from well to wheel’ than regular crude (Oil Sands, Greenhouse Gases, and US Oil Supply, 2010). That’s an increase, but by far not as much as the opposing side claims. Moreover, new technologies like carbon capture and storage can mitigate the extra emitted carbon dioxide, making this a feasible alternative.   

  • CON

    This could be caused by that. ......

    Developed Countries have a moral obligation to mitigate the effects of climate change

    "The topic doesn't limit developing countries, which i believe you are refering to. They can mitigate, but developed countries have the obligation as they created this mess. " Developed nations have obligation to clean up, but developing countries don't? This does not really make sense to me. "Are you going to let the climate go on how it is going and have a 1.9 trillion dollar cost of global warming in the next century." How can we take action if we do not even know if global warming exists? There is evidence both for and against this. "the renewable industries created 35 M jobs in 2011- UN" In my last argument, I said that as oil prices rise, people can't afford it and instead start buying alternate fuels. This could be caused by that. The government did not need to do anything. "If we cut funding into oil, then terrorists will lose money and stop killing innocent lives. I value lives greatly over money, Judge" The terrorists are only indirectly caused by oil. Plus, not all oil cause terrorism. Here are some examples of places that have a lot of oil and little terrorists: U.S (3rd) Canada (6th) U.K. (19th) [1] "Also, developed countries emmitted a lot of C02 into the atmosphere during their industrial revolution. Now the developing countries are going through their's and since the developed countries have emmitted so much, they have the moral obligation." Again, so developing nations don't need to? "They said to my terrorism subpoint that oil comapnies will lose their induestries and that green energy is not linked." You misunderstood my point: Oil gets more expensive as it gets scarcer, so people will switch to green energy without even the government telling them to do so. My point is the government is not required to tell people to do so as they will do it, NOT that big oil corporations will go bankrupt. Green energy sure does help, but that is another separate topic. [1]http://en.wikipedia.org...