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1826 motions

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  • This house supports the creation of an international court to prosecute "crimes against the earth."

    Infoslide

    International courts are neutral bodies not affiliated with any single country that adjudicates disputes between nations or international affairs. Cases are judged by a panel of judges appointed from different nations. Examples of international courts include, but are not limited to, the International Criminal Court (ICC), International Court of Justice (ICJ), European Court of Human Rights (ECHR). Crimes against the Earth are acts that directly or indirectly cause harm to the environment, for instance mass deforestation, destruction of ecosystems, etc.

    Nanke Invitational Forensics Tournament 2024 · Grand Final · 2024-03-09

  • That the Minister's decision will do more harm than good

    Infoslide

    <div>The ACT Minister for Planning used his powers to call-in a decision to approve a new housing estate without the input of other members of the legislature. These powers will no longer be legal soon. The housing estate was controversial due to environmental conservation concerns.</div><div><br></div><div><div><a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2024-02-28/minister-call-in-powers-approving-new-canberra-housing-estate/103522186" target="_blank" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.abc.net.au/news/2024-02-28/minister-call-in-powers-approving-new-canberra-housing-estate/103522186&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1711078656157000&amp;usg=AOvVaw0YtmtKbuwfqSXVIvXEdOVG">https://www.abc.net.au/news/<wbr>2024-02-28/minister-call-in-<wbr>powers-approving-new-canberra-<wbr>housing-estate/103522186</a></div></div><p></p>

    Intermediate Open 2024 · Round 3 · 2024-03-03

  • This house would prosecute business leaders for environmental crimes committed by their companies.

    Infoslide

    To prosecute means holding someone criminally liable and carrying out trial in the court of law. Examples of environmental crimes may include but not limited to wildlife crimes, illegal mining, pollution crimes, illegal fishing, and illegal logging. All of them breach environmental legislation and may cause significant harm not only to the environment but to human health as well.

    Advanced Open 2024 · Round 4 · 2024-03-03

  • That we prefer corporate carbon offsets as opposed to direct reductions in corporations' carbon emissions.

    Infoslide

    For the purpose of this debate, a carbon offset is a means of compensating for one's carbon emissions by engaging in a certain activity that decreases carbon in the atmosphere. For example, purchasing and sustaining forest land, carbon capture and storage technology, or buying and selling carbon credits.

    Advanced Open 2024 · Round 4 · 2024-03-03

  • In the exploration of alternate liveable planets, This house would prioritize climate engineering as opposed to the search for natural characteristics similar to Earth

    Infoslide

    Climate engineering refers to any deliberate and extensive modification to the environment with the aim of establishing a viable climate. There is currently a variety of speculative climate engineering solutions including carbon dioxide sequestration, stratospheric aerosol injection, and ocean fertilization.

    McMaster High Schools Debate Championship 2024 · Round 4 · 2024-03-01

  • This house, as the scientist, W not reveal the discovery

    Infoslide

    You are a scientist who has just discovered a secret, resource-rich, utopian civilization. Upon further research you have reason to believe this is the lost city of Atlantis, previously thought to be fabled. You are the sole person who has, and will ever have, this information. You have been implored by the Atlanteans not to disclose their secret location.

    LUMS Intervarsity 2024 · Round 2 · 2024-03-01

  • This house would choose the commune over a law career

    Infoslide

    You are a 22-year-old recent Western University graduate. A group of close friends you have had since the start of university have bought a plot of land to start a commune based on the ZAD (zone à défendre) model. A ZAD is an occupation of land that is intended to physically blockade a development project, and was successfully used in 2011 France to block the development of an airport. Your friends want to block the development of a oil pipeline in British Columbia through an agricultural community, where they live off the land, set up communal trades and businesses. They are inviting you to establish the commune together. However, you recently also received an offer to attend Harvard Law School.&nbsp;

    Western University Winter Debating Championships 2024 · Grand Final · 2024-02-24

  • This house believes that the countries of the Lithium Triangle should form a consortium for the exploitation of the minerals.

    Infoslide

    Lithium, known as the "new white gold," is a mineral widely used in technology, especially in rechargeable electric car batteries. It is also used in medical treatments and in the aerospace industry. The largest reserves and net quantities are found in the so-called "Lithium Triangle," which comprises the region of Antofagasta in Chile, the department of Potosí in Bolivia, and the provinces of Jujuy, Salta, and Catamarca in Argentina. This triangle holds 85% of the world's lithium, but the distribution is not equal: Bolivia has the highest net amount of lithium in the world, while Chile holds the largest reserves of commercially viable lithium, and Argentina has quantities smaller than the previous two countries. A consortium is a group of countries that jointly control the production and distribution of a raw material.

    Western University Winter Debating Championships 2024 · Semifinals · 2024-02-24

  • This house prefers a world where the natural ageing process is replaced with the Shani Ageing Process

    Infoslide

    Under the Shani Ageing Process, the rate at which adults age is directly tied to the difference between their Carbon Footprint and the Carbon Footprint Benchmark The Carbon Footprint Benchmark is the level of Carbon Footprint on a per capita basis that would maintain the current status of the climate. The Carbon Footprint Benchmark changes over time to account for the state of the climate. For example, in 2024 the Carbon Footprint Benchmark may be X units; however, if by 2034, the health of the climate has improved, the Carbon Footprint Benchmark would increase, e.g. to X+2 units – i.e. individuals would be able to generate a higher Carbon Footprint before they reached the Carbon Footprint Benchmark. - An individual’s Carbon Footprint is the total amount of greenhouse gases, primarily carbon dioxide, emitted directly or indirectly by an individual; factors such as an individual’s energy usage, travel habits, dietary choices, and consumption patterns are taken into account. Individuals with Carbon Footprints above the Carbon Footprint Benchmark age faster than natural, while those with Carbon Footprints lower than the Carbon Footprint Benchmark age slower than natural. The rate at which you age is linear not exponential (i.e. every Carbon Footprint unit above or below the Carbon Footprint Benchmark has the same impact on ageing as the previous unit). For example, consider two individuals, Abhi and Charlie, who are the same age but have different Carbon Footprints. Abhi, who lives a sustainable lifestyle with minimal carbon emissions, may age at a rate equivalent to one year for every 18 months that pass. In contrast, Charlie, whose lifestyle is characterized by high carbon emissions from excessive consumption and travel, may age at a rate of one year for every nine months that pass. An individual’s Carbon Footprint is discounted by the degree of choice they had over the relevant act. For example, consider two other individuals, Bob and Anna, if Bob invites Anna for lunch and makes steak, and they both eat the same amount of it, Bob’s Carbon Footprint would be higher than Anna if he had decided, without Anna’s input, to serve steak rather than a more environmentally friendly option. The Shani Ageing Process does not affect one’s ability to die for causes not related to ageing. In a world with the Shani Ageing Process, people’s understanding of it would mirror their understanding of the natural ageing process in the current world.

    LSE OPEN 2024 · Grand Final · 2024-02-24