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Oceans Affirmatives

Oceans Affirmatives. Exploration Cases. We Know Very Little About the Ocean. Most of the ocean is unexplored—frequent claim is that we know more about the surface of Mars than we do about most of the abyssal plain Knowledge gaps exacerbate the disruptive effects of human activity

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Oceans Affirmatives

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  1. Oceans Affirmatives

  2. Exploration Cases

  3. We Know Very Little About the Ocean • Most of the ocean is unexplored—frequent claim is that we know more about the surface of Mars than we do about most of the abyssal plain • Knowledge gaps exacerbate the disruptive effects of human activity • We also have little knowledge about (have under-theorized) how we are connected to the oceans

  4. Monitoring Cases • Acidification • Bioindicators • Climate • Tsunami • Weather / Storms

  5. Other Exploration Affs • Arctic Mapping • Coastal Mappling • Expeditions—Deep Sea, for example • Explorations of Key Issues and Theories as they relate to the Oceans (Migrations, Radical Ecologies) • Exploration of How We Are Connected to the Oceans • Find Flight 370 (Georgetown) • Wide array of critical affs

  6. Environmental Protection Cases

  7. Ocean Environments Are in Trouble • Populations of fish and other animals are WAY down in many areas • Critical marine ecosystems are under serious stress • Coral reefs • Estuaries • Mangroves

  8. Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) • Create zones where particular (or even all) exploitive activities are prohibited • Claim to stabilize stressed ecosystems and provide positive spillover effects to adjacent non-protected areas • Very popular case on the old oceans topic • Strong uniqueness angle because of the recent Obama executive order creating a massive new MPA in the Pacific • Robust literature support

  9. Whales • Whaling is governed by the International Whaling Commission (IWC) • Most countries have stopped killing whales • Japan (1000+), Norway (1000+) and Iceland (200+) continue to kill whales • Most affirmative teams will try to use different inducement mechanisms to decrease the killing of whales • There is solvency evidence for transferrable whaling quotas—ugh. • Whaling!!!!

  10. Other Environment Affs • Prohibit / Regulate Bad Practices • Ballast Water • Coastal Development • Cruise Ships • Oil Transportation

  11. Food Affirmatives

  12. Oceans Are a Critical Food Source • Somewhere around 1 billion people depend on marine animals as their primary source of protein • Fishing is a multi-billion dollar industry in the United States and other countries

  13. Potential Cases • Aquaculture • Fund it (R&D) • Regulation--consistency • Fisheries • Adjust existingTAC (total allowable catch) systems • Shift to individual quota systems (IQ, ITQ) • Regulate destructive activities • Bycatch • Protections for specific species • Trawling • Fish-specific management plans

  14. Energy Affirmatives

  15. Why Energy? • Energy production (development) is really important—transportation, food production, manufacturing, etc. • There are major concerns about our energy supply: • Depletion—peak oil, etc. • Pollution, esp. climate change • Equity—the negative effects of energy production are not evenly distributed • There is a very large and well-developed literature base • Cases can take a number of directions and claim a wide variety of impacts

  16. How Expand Energy Production? • Exploration: Assess the ocean for particular energy resources • Fund: Provide resources for the development of energy resources • Research and development of new technology (R&D) • Incentives—direct payments, tax preferences, etc. • Direct government development—especially demonstration projects • Permit: Remove existing barriers that preclude non-governmental entities from using the ocean to produce energy

  17. Renewable Energy Sources • Include many different technologies—will discuss these individually in a few minutes • Cases will typically argue that our current reliance on fossil fuels is bad and that we need to develop alternative energy resources • Oil / gas scarcity—peak oil/gas • Oil / gas prices—expensive oil / gas is bad • Oil / gas dependence is bad • Climate change • Pollution—air, water, etc. • Energy equity • There are many other potential advantages relating to economic competitiveness, boosting particular industries, etc.

  18. Wind Energy • This is the packet aff—you are hopefully (somewhat) familiar with it • Solvency advocates typically identify at least two major to wind energy expansion • Cost—wind energy’s capital costs are high, and wind energy remains more expensive that fossil fuels • Regulations—both federal and state regulatory barriers make it difficult to get new projects approved. Regulatory overlap between the states and federal government make things even more complicated

  19. Ocean Thermal Energy Conversion (OTEC) • Capitalizes on the difference in temperature between surface water (warm) and deep waters (cold) • If you want to see diagrams, let me know and we can talk about it another time—fairly involved tech • Ridiculous impact claims…. Just…. Ridiculous • A lot of the best lit is pretty old (late 70s/early 80s)

  20. Other Renewables • Hydrothermal Vent Energy • Tidal Energy • Wave Energy

  21. Hydrocarbons • Oil, natural gas, methane hydrates • The oceans produce a LOT of oil and gas already—production is centered in the Gulf of Mexico and the Alaska and California coasts • Most coastal areas and most of the OCS are *not* open to oil/gas exploration and development in the status quo • The EIA and other groups believe that there is a LOT of oil and gas in the OCS • Affirmative cases will likely allow for oil/gas exploration and/or open new areas to leasing and development. There is also solvency evidence for streamlining the permitting process

  22. Hydrocarbons [cont’d] • Two main avenues to access impacts • Production—more oil is good • Prices—OCS development makes oil / gas cheaper, and that’s good • Advantage ground is very broad • Economy • Domestic—jobs, competitiveness, specific industry, trade deficit, etc. internals • International consumer—lower oil prices / higher production benefits the economies of major oil importers, like China, the EU, India, etc. • International producer—lower oil prices / higher production hurts the economies of major oil exporters, like Russia, Venezuela, and Iran • Leadership (oil dependence) • Oil Wars / Geopolitics—mitigates competition over oil resources—lots of scenarios, China is particularly good

  23. Other Affirmatives • Desalination • Geoengineering (Iron Fertilization) • Law of the Sea (LOST / UNCLOS) • Pop Culture + Oceans + Social Problems = AffMagick

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