• CON

    In debate we call that a Biased Sample Fallacy coupled...

    Governments should require that funded climate data be posted

    Pro: No Matter what the final outcome of this debate may be, I thank you for an extremely well-structured debate based upon one of today's most pressing questions. Thank you for the honor of allowing me to present the Con Position. Pro has stated he is having trouble figuring out what I was claiming with respect to the contentions. I understand his confusion since I meant to say I was refuting his claims of results that most likely would result. I apologize for the error and will be more careful in the future. Too bad the spell checker cannot flag those kind of errors. Pro contends that by posting on the internet the data supporting the publication of findings by a particular scientist or group, that the raw historical data be included in the posting along with the software used to analyze and plot that data, be included. On the surface this sounds good but here is the problem: If a group was to come across a small data set that refuted their other findings, but that that data was obtained in an unsatisfactory manner (such as some measurements being taken during an unusually warm period due to other than usual conditions, they would have to show the erroneous data and explain it omission in the overall results. Here is where the pundits come in: I can hear it now, "They just threw out data they didn't like!...This proves their entire theory is wrong and it is probably been cooked to get more tax money!" In debate we call that a Biased Sample Fallacy coupled with the Red Herring Fallacy. In debate, we have the opportunity to point these fallacies out and moving on, letting the judges decide. In real life, once the pundits latch on to something they think they can run with, in this case, not the "missing data" but the tax money. Scientists can counter the arguments all they want, but the anti's will still be the loudest. It is for this reason the raw data and the process of analysis (which may include the non-consideration of some data) being presented to the public would be counter-productive, thus confirming Con's position. I said I wouldn't get into the debate of global climate change per se so I will admit that the same scenario could be played out to the opposite side but the result would be the same...degenerating the vital investigation into this question into a debate of semantics rather than allowing the truth to emerge. Regardless of which side one is on, it is the truth should be the goal, not just an individual's (or a political party's or special interest group's)preset agenda. This whole question has become a political football, no longer a scientific investigation into a very important subject. Pro has, in fact, admitted that [quote]" There is no concern that unqualified people in the general public will critique climate research software. The general public cannot comprehend it."[end quote] therefore solidifying Con's position that there is no good reason to release the data he suggest to the public, but to restrict it's exposure to qualified scientists, other than to allow non-professionals, with no prestigious standing at risk, to cherry-pick data to foist upon the unsuspecting and admittedly gullible public as the absolute truth. This alone, should be enough to vote in favor of Con. Pro contends that the "hockey stick graph" contained a "major error" that caused it removal from the 2007 IPCC report. However, it was not the major error but the removal of the questionable data was portrayed by certain highly placed politicians who were admittedly opposed to any suggestion that global warming could be a real occurrence. http://en.wikipedia.org... The fact that the "Medieval Warming" and the "Little Ice Age" were left out due to the suspect nature of the data and the relatively slow temperature rise shown by even the suspected data over several hundreds of years compared to the comparatively rapid rise over less than one hundred years, did not discourage the critics of the issue one bit, with the pundits again exclaiming how the figures were deliberately falsified to simply satisfy some unknown benefactor holding the enormous purse strings of the federal budget. http://www.windows.ucar.edu... Pro has said that all the data should be produced "for all to see, without a bunch of nonsense obstacles." But then, since the public wouldn't comprehend it, it would still become, not a scientific question but a political football with each side pointing fingers and claiming the other guy was wrong and the "unqualified people in the general public" would be the ones left to make the decision of which side was "right." Pro's contentions have all been supported by questionable and debatable outcomes based on illegal and unethical "evidence" that has been sensationalized to create an adversarial atmosphere surrounding the entire field of research. It is not my contention that either side is correct - just that the public exposure of esoteric (at least among the general public) methods of analysis is counter-productive to determining the truth behind the science. Therefore, Con refutes the resolution as written.

  • PRO

    World Bank President Jim Yong Kim says he was stunned by...

    The Latest: World Bank chief 'in shock' after climate deal

    World Bank President Jim Yong Kim says he was stunned by the Paris climate agreement adopted by more than 190 countries. Kim told The Associated Press in a phone interview that he was "in a bit of a shock, a happy shock" after the deal was gaveled on Saturday. He said he woke up Sunday much more optimistic about the world his children would inherit.

  • CON

    The human population of the United States is over 300...

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

    I thank my opponent for accepting this debate. I will start by getting some facts on the table. The United States is a country on Earth. http://www.answers.com... The world temperature has supposedly gone up about 1 degree in the last 150 years. http://www.epa.gov... The human population of Earth is over 6 billion. http://www.infoplease.com... The human population of China is over 1.3 billion. http://geography.about.com... The human population of the United States is over 300 million. http://factfinder.census.gov... The average "carbon footprint" for a U.S. household is 19 metric tons of CO2. http://www.foxnews.com... There are about 100 million american housholds. http://www.foxnews.com... The average american household adds 0.0000000000148 degrees Fahrenheit to the global average temperature. http://www.foxnews.com... China has a smaller carbon footprint than the U. S. http://outside.away.com... The U. S. is responsible for 27% of the global carbon footprint. http://outside.away.com... From these facts, we can draw three conclusions. 1. In 150 years, the temperature has gone up 1 degree. The U.S. is responsible for about a quarter of this. 2. Even if the United States produced no carbon footprint, about three-quarters of global warming would still occur. 3. If the United States produced no carbon footprint, then there would not be a significant effect on The human population of the United States is over 300 million. http://factfinder.census.gov... The average "carbon footprint" for a U.S. household is 19 metric tons of CO2. http://www.foxnews.com... There are about 100 million american housholds. http://www.foxnews.com... The average american household adds 0.0000000000148 degrees Fahrenheit to the global average temperature. http://www.foxnews.com... China has a smaller carbon footprint than the U. S. http://outside.away.com... The U. S. is responsible for 27% of the global carbon footprint. http://outside.away.com... From these facts, we can draw three conclusions. 1. In 150 years, the temperature has gone up 1 degree. The U.S. is responsible for about a quarter of this. 2. Even if the United States produced no carbon footprint, about three-quarters of global warming would still occur. 3. If the United States produced no carbon footprint, then there would not be a significant effect on climate. The basic calculations are as follows: 150 years=1 degree 50 years=one-third of a degree 50 years (just U. S.)=one-twelveth of a degree The definition of "a significant effect" has been established as "atleast a quarter of a degree in fifty years". However, even if the U.S. were to have no "footprint", the global climate trend would decrease by 1/12 degree. Further, Obama's plan would "reduce greenhouse gas emissions 80 percent by 2050." http://my.barackobama.com... So, the emissions would not even be completely eliminated, but reduced by 80 percent. Therefore, assuming the Obama plan even works, the current warming trend would be reduced by 1/15 degree. The debate is already won. Basic math discredits that the U.S. adopting Obama's Cap and Trade plan will have a significant effect on climate. I thank my opponent for this debate.

  • CON

    However, The idea that if Bernie doesn't win your not...

    its Bernie or bust, We are suck of moderates, WE WANT REAL CHANGE

    I like Bernie, Right now it he's the most likely to win the primary and in the general election I would vote for him over Trump a hundred times over. However, The idea that if Bernie doesn't win your not gonna vote for the democratic candidate is almost as bad as just straight up voting for Trump. Any Democrat would be better that Trump on immigration, Women's issues, Race issues, Healthcare, Foreign relations, Climate change (probably the single greatest threat facing mankind and one Trump said was a "hoax made up by China"), And would at least allow us to get another democrat supreme court judge, Something that is incredibly important when it comes to the path this country will be going towards in the coming years, Especially since Ruth Bader Ginsburg won't be alive for much longer. To say it's Bernie or Bust is basically just admitting your an idealogue who doesn't actually care about the actual tangible results or outcomes of policy that will effect million of American's, And that all you actually care about is whether or not your guy gets in as if we were on sports teams.

  • CON

    Use The Military has to do with on-the-spot situations...

    Money should be spend more on climate crisis than on military force

    Use The Military has to do with on-the-spot situations that very well affect the state of the US. However climate, as good as it should be treated should not suck up all the tax-payers money because in the scale you are talking about would require regulation and would damage the economy because you are basically fighting the large businesses that are in America. I leave this for now. Your turn Pro!

  • PRO

    GM technology on crops may offer solutions to control...

    Plant Adaptation to Unfavourable Climate and Pesticide Reduction

    GM technology on crops may offer solutions to control pests, fungal infections and growing crops in particularly harsh environments. To achieve this end, scientists are developing pest-resistant, fungal-resistant and herbicide-tolerant plants. Some crops have been genetically modified to be tolerant of high soil salinity and resistant to drought. In Africa for example, climate varies from region to region making it very difficult to breed crop varieties for each region. Thus, the ability to design crops suited to specific climatic conditions is much more effective, and is beneficial to developing African countries. It also helps to control pests and fungal infections. GM crops have been modified to target specific types of pests like rootworm, unlike traditional pests which kill all kinds of insects without discrimination. They have been estimated to save on fuel because fuel is needed for farmers to operate machine spraying pesticides. This also reduces carbon dioxide emissions. In China for example, GM rice has made labour, energy consumption and costs reduce significantly because the amount of treatment normally required has reduced. This effect has compounded to a safer environment as less farmers are exposed to pesticides. The impact on other organisms like insects also decreases.

    • https://debatewise.org/gmos-are-good/
  • PRO

    Per the terms of the Agreement, the United States...

    US begins formal withdrawal from Paris climate accord

    The Trump administration announced Monday that it will begin formally withdrawing the US from the Paris climate accord, the first step in a year-long process to leave the landmark agreement to reduce emissions of planet-warming gases. "Today the United States began the process to withdraw from the Paris Agreement," Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said in a statement. "Per the terms of the Agreement, the United States submitted formal notification of its withdrawal to the United Nations. The withdrawal will take effect one year from delivery of the notification." ...

  • PRO

    I'm actually new to this website but I'm excited that a...

    We need to change the way we live or we will all die

    I'm actually new to this website but I'm excited that a found somewhere to debate. So I think we can all agree that climate change is a big problem. It looks like the ocean levels are going to rise substantially and there are going to increased frequency of natural disasters across the globe. I also think we can all agree that it is at least partly caused by humans. Simultaneously we are on track to hit 10 billion people by the year 2050. There is no way we can support a population of this size without some major changes. I am not claiming to have the solutions but it does worry me that we do not seem to be working towards a solution. We seem to be ignoring the impending doom. This next argument is from a TED talk by Charles C. Mann. I encourage you to go an watch it. If you have ever taken biology you have seen bacteria grow in a petri dish. In the petri dish is agar or agarose. The bacteria is in an environment with all that it needs to reproduce with no predators. It reproduces until the environment can no longer support the bacteria and they starve to death. If you are a follower of Darwin you must take in to consideration that we too are a species that has the same natural instincts of all other living creatures. Reproduce and protect yourself. We continue to grow as a species but we are the first species to ever to have the opportunity to evade our own death. My argument here is that change needs to occur. We, As a species, Must decide what we are going to do.

  • CON

    The main reason that we have it as GW Exists is because...

    DDO should change the "global warming exists" big issue to "Man-made global warming exists"

    I will first refute my opponents arguements then move on to my own. 1. Samples taken from GW Exists page. The main reason that we have it as GW Exists is because not even 20 years ago we were concerned with Global Cooling and going back into another Ice Age and as a matter of fact we are beginning to cool with global cooling not heat up. Entering a cooling period RedOrbit 2009 (“Is The Earth Entering A Cooling Cycle?”, http://www.redorbit.com...) On the scientific research front, most news headlines tend to be aimed at showing how global temperatures are on a steady upward climb, but one report published last week appears to reveal that those upward trends may not be entirely accurate.¶ In an October 9 BBC News story, climate correspondent Paul Hudson noted that the warmest year on record was not in 2008 or 2007, but in 1998.¶ The story goes on to state that no climate increase has been measured over the past 11 years, although emissions of carbon dioxide continue to rise.¶The BBC story cited experts who claim that although the world has gone through decades of rapid warmth during the 20th Century, the earth operates on natural climate cycles, which man has no control over.¶ Additionally, experts have long debated whether the spikes in warming have been attributed to an increase in the Sun’s energy and that warming causes a rise in carbon dioxide levels, rather than the other way around. For some scientists, there is the lingering possibility that the earth could be entering a period of global cooling, rather than the widely sensationalized warming trend.¶BBC News cited a study published two years ago by the Royal Society. So as you can see that the debate on man-made GW would be useless and the debate should be on weather or not GW exists as we currently have it. 2. It's too difficult to change things. During this past summer Koopin had changed the Big Issues, but it took over 3 months! The reason why is that it requires the votes inorder to pass. It must pass through several stages inorder to become a big Issue. 1. Must be nominated by a DDO member, 2. Must gain enough votes, (this varries depending on how many issues get nominated in the 1st step by DDO) 3. Must be approved by Juggle (Juggle owns the site and they won't allow changes to their site that they don't approve of). Plus there are things that are better to possibly put there like Does God Exists, Do Aliens Exists, etc...

  • PRO

    It is clear that developed countries that do have the...

    Africa does not have the resources to protect itself from climate change

    A report by the United Nations Environmental Project estimates that adaptation costs to Africa per year could already be $15billion, reach $50billion by 2050 and anything up to $350billion by 2070. Funding for adaptation to Africa in 2011 was only $454milliion.[1] This is not a gap that Africa can make up itself; in 2010 all spending on education was less than $50billion.[2] Africa can’t afford to adapt itself while responding to an expanding population as well as its existing problems of poverty and disease. It is clear that developed countries that do have the resources have to step it and take responsibility. [1] Schaeffer, Michiel et al., ‘Summary’, Africa Adaptation Gap Technical Report, United Nations Environmental Project, 2013 http://www.unep.org/roa/Amcen/docs/publications/Africa_Adapatation_Gap.pdf , p.xi [2] ‘Public spending on education; total (% of GDP) in sub saharan Africa’, Trading Economics, http://www.tradingeconomics.com/sub-saharan-africa/public-spending-on-education-total-percent-of-gdp-wb-data.html, ‘Gross domestic product 2010’, World Bank, http://siteresources.worldbank.org/DATASTATISTICS/Resources/GDP.pdf