Tournament: Binghamton | Round:  | Opponent:  | Judge:
Inherency
Human carbon emissions are messing with the natural carbon cycle.
(EPA June 2012 http://www.epa.gov/climatechange/ghgemissions/gases/co2.html)
Carbon dioxide …. more CO2 than oil or natural gas.
But coal is not going anywhere. It is the lowest cost, most dense energy source available and will continue to be so for the foreseeable future
(Bryce, Robert 2012 , City Journal Vol. 22 no.3)
But even if the EPA … an area approximately the size of Maryland. 

THUS: The USFG should provide financial incentives for the utilization of fuel cells in coal-fired power plants  

Solvency

FuelCell Energy exceeds environmental standards and have been designated “ultra clean”.
(FuelCell Energy 2012  http://www.fuelcellenergy.com/benefits-fuel-cell-technology.php)
Amid the increasing energy …. fossil-fuel-based backup generators.
FuelCell Energy is almost three times as efficient as solar or wind energy and can harness the byproducts to be a renewable energy source.
 (FuelCell Energy 2012  http://www.fuelcellenergy.com/benefits-fuel-cell-technology.php)

Reliability: By locating the power plant… making it a renewable energy source. 

Federal incentives lead to lasting developments
(Center for American Progress 2012 http://www.americanprogress.org/issues/green/report/2012/01/10/10956/good-government-investments-in-renewable-energy/)

¶ Why? Because …. engagement of vibrant energy markets.

ADV 1: Climate Change

Coal-fired plants are the largest source of increased greenhouse gases

(EPA 2012 http://epa.gov/climatechange/ghgemissions/sources.html)

Greenhouse gases trap heat… mostly coal and natural gas. [2]  

Further emissions at this rate will lead to average temperature rises with significant impacts.
(DirectGov August 2012 http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/Environmentandgreenerliving/Thewiderenvironment/Climatechange/DG_072901)

The Earth's climate is not static...and sea levels will rise further.

The ability of fuel cells to capture over 90% of CO2 from coal fired power plants substantially decreases these emissions
(Clean Technica 2011  http://cleantechnica.com/2011/10/26/fuel-cell-coal-plant-co2-capture-clean-tech-breakthrough-or-ill-conceived-diversion/) 

Post-combustion of processed …. for industrial or commercial use.¶ 

These impacts have already begun to occur, effecting global ecosystems and species
(NASA 2012 http://climate.nasa.gov/effects/)

Global climate change …. droughts expected to rise in some regions.6

New evidence confirms that these impacts will lead to mass extinctions

(Karimi, Roxanne   August 2011  Environmental Health New  http://www.environmentalhealthnews.org/ehs/newscience/2011/08/2011-0829-climate-change-extinctions/)

New evidence confirms … human-related impacts.

Humans will be one of those species. Lowering carbon emissions key to preventing extinction. 

(Regency Foundation 2008  http://www.regency.org/news_july1.html) 

World Wildlife Fund Climate … the planet and raising global temperatures.

Every year human death toll will rise; US one of the most vulnerable nations
(McDermott, Mat 2010 Business and Energy editor http://www.treehugger.com/natural-sciences/climate-change-to-kill-5-million-people-globally-by-2020-it-just-goes-up-each-year-after-that.html) 

Each year there are 350,000 people dying … extreme weather events (#1), and sea level rise (#7).

ADV 2: SUSTAINING AMERICAN HEGEMONY

Hegemonic declines come from changes in energy regimes, historically coal. This leads to chaos.
(Institute for Research on World Systems 2010  http://irows.ucr.edu/papers/irows65/irows65.htm)
There is another important difference between …. or a legitimate global state (Heinberg 2004).

Australia is miles ahead of the US in developing clean coal, and they are one of the world’s largest producers of coal
(Billington, Robert 2012  Australian Coal Association http://www.australiancoal.com.au/climate-change-a-technology.html)

In 2006 the Australian Coal Association … average global temperature rise to no more than 2oC”.
 

Controling the cost of coal is driving the power shift to the Asian Pacific. This shifts the power from America to Australia and China
(The Canberra Times January 2012 http://www.canberratimes.com.au/national/asia-pacific-now-dominates-global-power-deals-20120124-1t6jw.html) 

The Asia Pacific now accounts for the greatest … power merger and acquisition, the report said.¶ 

If the USFG doesn’t invest in FuelCell Energy soon, Asian-Pacific countries will buy up the technology and harp the credit.  
(Fiakas, Debra September 2012 http://www.altenergystocks.com/archives/2012/09/counting_out_fuelcell_energy.html)

In April 2012 South Korea’s POSCO …. unmanned underwater and aerial vehicles

China views clean coal as a national priority, and it is on track to be the king of clean, cheap energy for the world’s fastest growing nations
(National Geographic 2012 http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/energy/2012/12/120213-us-china-teamwork-on-clean-coal/)
China, on the other hand, has been building …fumes and table scraps" from China's megaprojects, he said.
China’s growing power setting stage for power wars in the region
(Mearsheimer, John 2010 Chinese Journal of International Politics Vol 3, Issue 4)

China’s neighbors in the Asia-Pacific … with the Chinese military if the ban remained’.25
Hegemony solves great power wars, economic growth and stability, and human rights
(Bradley A. Thayer, November/December, 2006 “In Defense of Primacy,” NATIONAL INTEREST Issue 86)

THROUGHOUT HISTORY… socialist ideology of post-independence India. 

U.S. withdrawal would leave behind a power vacuum, spurring terrorism, economic turmoil and multiple nuclear wars.
(Niall Ferguson, July/August 2004 “A World Without Power,” FOREIGN POLICY Issue 143)

So what is left? Waning empires. … not-so-new world disorder.¶ 

ADV 3: WATER CONTAMINATION

Burning coal leads to acid rain which contains dangerous mercury and arsenic that get into the water
(Union of Concerned Scientists 2012 http://www.ucsusa.org/clean_energy/coalvswind/c02c.html)

Burning coal is a leading cause … and trace amounts of uranium.

Current coal-fired plants pollute water through acid rain. Fuel cells would solve.
(Sierra Club 12 http://www.sierraclubgreenhome.com/fuel-cell/fuel-cells-eco-benefits/) 

Air pollution doesn’t just … insignificant amount of CO2.

No way to purify the water once polluted with Mercury.
Sean Lu, pHD. October 08. Executive and researcher at W.L. Gore and Associates, Inc, a global fluoropolymer technology corporation  and The National Institute of Standards and Technology. http://www.nist.gov/tip/wp/pswp/upload/8_effective_mercury_removal_for_coal_fired_power.pdf

Mercury released from … speed up the development.

Mercury stays in ecosystem, leads to toxic snowball effect
(EPA 97. Enviromental Protection Agency December 1997. Mercury Study Report to Congress http://www.epa.gov/ttn/atw/112nmerc/volume6.pdf)

An important product of … which wildlife are exposed.
Mercury contamination spreads, worldwide implications
SEAS 12. Harvard School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, May 21 2012, written by Caroline Perry of communications. http://news.harvard.edu/gazette/story/2012/05/toxic-mercury-springs-from-a-hidden-source/
Environmental scientists … The work was supported by the National Science Foundation’s Arctic System Science Program.

Ocean Contamination leads to extinction
Guardian 11. John Vidal, editor for environment Guardian October 11. http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2011/oct/18/whale-war-japan-antarctica
As the Steve Irwin … things for granted. "Passion is the most important thing."

Clean water is key to human survival

(McCarthy 03 Michael, “Water Scarcity could Affect Billions: Is this the Biggest Crisis of All?” Common Dreams.org March 5, 2003. http://www.commondreams.org/headlines03/0305-05.htm)

The direst, direct effects of water scarcity … and that of our planet Earth."