1. Earth’s Oceans
Resolved: The United States federal government should substantially increase its non-military exploration and/or development of the Earth’s oceans.
Jon Voss
Glenbrook South High School
Topic Lecture at the California National Debate Institute – 23 June 2014

2. Part I: Background
Government-sponsored ocean exploration began in 1807 and has evolved over time.
1950 – NASA and the evolution of the space program created a new perspective on oceans.
1970 – the large number of ocean-interested organizations were grouped together under NOAA.
Minimal non-military development.

3. Status Quo [1/4]
Federal ocean policy is all the actions related to exploration, development, and protection of the oceans.
The overall goal of ocean policy is sustainable development of the ocean.
The core assumption is that resource exploitation of the ocean is in the US national interest.
US oceans policy is highly fragmented – 27 federal agencies or departments have a role and there are over 140 laws governing ocean use.

4. Status Quo [2/4] Not much regulation…
Pollution
Toxic Spills
Marine Life
Overfishing
Acidification
Climate Change
More regulation now, but change occurs slowly.

5. Status Quo [3/4]
The federal government can’t just increase development anywhere in the world – it’s limited by jurisdictional conflicts.
Local governments control the shoreline, state governments control land to 3 miles offshore, and the federal government controls between 3 and 200 miles. No nation can control the parts of the ocean beyond 200 miles of their territory.

6. Status Quo [4/4]
From the coast to 200 miles off the shoreline is known as the EEZ.
Most important part of the development part of the topic.
Only place the government has authority for development is the EEZ.
Every country in the world has an EEZ – about one third of the world’s oceans are covered by EEZs.

7. Who’s In Charge?
Tons of federal authority for ocean exploration and development.
27 different agencies and sub-agencies.
Most relevant include NOAA, the DOI, and the Coast Guard
Jurisdictional conflicts.

8. National Ocean Policy Rolled out in 2010, Executive Action
Marine Planning
Coastal Communities
Fishing
Aquaculture
Agriculture
Offshore Renewable Energy
Offshore Oil & Natural Gas
Shipping & Ports
Meant to protect marine natural resources.
Big focus on regional action and protection.

9. Part II: The Topic

10. I: Defining the Topic “substantially increase” “its” “non-military” **
“exploration” **
“development” **
“Earth’s oceans” **

11. II - Affirmatives on the Topic
Exploration Affirmatives
Development Affirmatives

12. Exploration Affirmatives: Mechanisms
-- Biodiscovery -- Underwater Mapping -- Marine Archaeology -- Study-based Approaches

13. Exploration Affirmatives: Advantage Ground
-- Climate Change -- General Sustainability Arguments -- Modeling -- US S&T Leadership

14. Exploration Affirmatives
Exploration – fund it, do it.
Find “X”
Arctic Mapping
Not an all-inclusive list…

15. Development Affirmatives
Generally, more diverse advantage ground.
They link to a greater diversity of disadvantages, but have much more room for innovation.
This is the area of the topic from where the new/tiny affirmatives will emerge.
Energy and Fish.

16. Energy-side Affirmatives
Oil/gas drilling
Renewable energy affirmatives
Methane hydrates

17. Fishing-side Affirmatives
Aquaculture
Fisheries Management
Pollution Regulation
Marine Protected Areas
Sub-Seabed Disposal

18. Disadvantages on the Topic
Politics Disadvantages
Tradeoff / Agency / Jurisdiction DAs
Biodiversity / Pollution DAs
Sphere of Influence DAs
Market Confidence DAs

19. Counterplans on the Topic
International Actor Counterplans
50-States Counterplans
Private Actor Counterplans
Military Counterplans
“Do It On Land” Counterplans

20. Critiques on the Topic The aff matters a lot… Capitalism
Anthropocentrism
Management / Heidegger-style Ks
Deep Ecology / Social Ecology
Free Market Environmentalism