Instigator / Pro
7
1587
rating
182
debates
55.77%
won
Topic
#4541

THBT: On balance, The U.S. Government should prioritize Traditional Sources over Renewable Energy.

Status
Finished

The debate is finished. The distribution of the voting points and the winner are presented below.

Winner & statistics
Better arguments
3
0
Better sources
2
2
Better legibility
1
1
Better conduct
1
0

After 1 vote and with 4 points ahead, the winner is...

Sir.Lancelot
Parameters
Publication date
Last updated date
Type
Rated
Number of rounds
3
Time for argument
Two days
Max argument characters
10,500
Voting period
Two weeks
Point system
Multiple criterions
Voting system
Open
Minimal rating
None
Contender / Con
3
1491
rating
10
debates
70.0%
won
Description

(I will be arguing that the nation should choose Conventional Energy. Con argues in favor of Renewable Energy.)

Conventional Energy Sources:
Coal
Oil
Petroleum & Natural Gas
Fuel Woods
Fossil Fuels
Thermal Power Plant
Nuclear Energy

Renewable Energy Sources:
Solar Energy
Wind Energy
Geothermal Energy
Hydropower
Ocean Energy
Bio Energy

Definitions:

Government- Governing body of a nation, state, or community.

Prioritize- Designate or treat (something) as more important over other things.

Rules:
No Kritiks.

Exception is if the source lists are incomplete and Con wishes to add an option not originally included in the description.

Criterion
Pro
Tie
Con
Points
Better arguments
3 point(s)
Better sources
2 point(s)
Better legibility
1 point(s)
Better conduct
1 point(s)
Reason:

Con being late to the party wouldn't be as big an issue if this debate had more rounds, or if they addressed all of Pro's arguments up front. But there's simply a lot that Con has to say in the rebuttal stage that Pro never has a chance to respond to. I'm not sure offhand how strongly I should weigh these points, so I'll go over each contention and say who I think won, then figure out a way to weigh them. It's clear that coal does some good with some risks of pollution. I'm not sure that this point means much on its own. I have to weigh economic growth against $1 trillion externalities - Con gives me a number, and Pro doesn't, so I might have to weigh that figure higher. There's a claim that renewables aren't feasible, which has some support, and Con attacks the source in the last round. Bias doesn't mean that a source is definitely false, and Con's sources could just as easily have an agenda, so I'm weighting sources equally.

What clinches this is the proposal of nuclear energy as a counterplan. Con argues that nuclear will take some time to implement, but the renewables Con proposes have some high costs as well, and it's not clear that we should only be thinking short-term. Both avoid the opportunity costs from pollution, so my vote lands with Pro.