2024 NHSDLC年度冠军赛辩题正式揭晓！

各位辩手大家好，自5月21日NHSDLC组委会开启2024年度冠军赛辩题投票通道后，热爱辩论的同学们、辩论前辈大咖以及各界裁判、教练都积极参与到了辩题投票活动中，在此由衷感谢所有人的参与！

经过两周多时间的投票之后，2024 NHSDLC年度冠军赛辩题终于尘埃落定！

经组委会统计，在本次辩题投票中，最终符合投票标准的有效票数为339张。其中「巴西环境保护和经济发展」辩题票数一路领先，最终占总投票数34%，脱颖而出成为2024年度冠军赛辩题！

*线上全国邀请赛与年度冠军赛同辩题

重要通知 2024 NHSDLC线上全国邀请赛 林肯道格拉斯辩论挑战赛辩题 今日同步官宣！

Resolved:The Federal Republic of Brazil ought to prioritize its environmental protection over its economic development.

* 近期组委会还将公布比赛更多信息，敬请关注

环境保护与经济发展之间的冲突

一直是非常经典的公共论坛式辩论话题

这次我们聚焦的主角是巴西！

作为一个农业大国，巴西的环境保护

对依靠这些资源生活的人们来说非常重要

亦是国民经济发展的基础

同时，巴西约有1/3的公民生活在贫困之中

仍在为满足日常生活需求而挣扎

经济发展对国家整体福祉至关重要

政府亦需要更强大的经济来执行环保法规

究竟两者谁的优先级更高？

先让我们来了解一下今年的辩题背景！

Topic Background辩题背景

Like many developing nations, Brazil faces a difficult balancing act between protection of its natural environment and development of its economy. The reelection of President Silva in 2023 made both issues a priority as he campaigned on promoting environmental sustainability and economic development (Tondo, 2023). However, despite his rhetoric, Brazil still faces challenges in each front. The next 20 years will be critical to determining whether Brazil can create a “virtuous cycle” of economic growth without irreparably damaging its biodiversity and ecosystems (World Bank, 2023).

With two biodiversity hotspots, the Amazon and Cerrado, the second most endemic species in the world, six biodomes and three unique marine ecosystems, Brazil is the most megadiverse country in the world (Convention on Biological Diversity). Although he supports sustainability, President Silva has already come under fire from environmentalists concerned about policies that could increase carbon emissions and deforestation: expansion of roads in the Amazon and reduced taxes for cars (Rattmann, 2023). Pro teams will have a number of environmental issues to pick from.

Climate Change

Climate change is certain to be an argument in many debates on the topic. To start, President Silva has made ambitious goals to reduce Brazil’s greenhouse gases compared to the previous administration. Silva’s goal is to reduce emissions by over 50% in the short and medium term (Spring, 2023). Brazil is currently the fifth largest producer of greenhouse gases, contributing 3% of global emissions (Maisonnave, 2023).

Brazil is already experiencing the effect of climate change. One study found that climate change makes flooding in Brazil twice as likely, which southern states have recently experienced, and increasing its severity (World Weather Attribution, 2024). Climate change has also been connected to droughts in Brazil, which increased forest fires 152% last year (Brown, 2024).

Deforestation

To his credit, there is almost universal agreement that President Silva has done a great job reducing deforestation in the Amazon. Estimates vary depending on the methodology and time studied, but reports show that deforestation fell 50% in 2023 (Santos, 2024). Despite this success, threats to the Amazon remain. Construction of roads not only directly lead to deforestation, but indirectly as well by making transportation easier for illegal logging (Rattmann, 2023).

Rural tax credits also increase the risk since agriculture is the largest cause of deforestation in the Amazon (Mazzetti, 2024). Furthermore, while deforestation in the Amazon has decreased, it has increased 43% in the Cerrado due to clearance of land for cattle (Global Witness, 2024).

Additionally, there are also other specific argument areas that students could explore, including marine environments, mining, natural gas, and oil etc.

The Con side will focus on the fact that Brazil faces compelling imperatives driven by pressing economic challenges. With a substantial portion of the population living in poverty and limited access to essential services, the urgency of addressing economic concerns cannot be overstated.

By directing resources towards economic growth initiatives, Brazil stands to reap significant benefits, including job creation, infrastructure development, and poverty alleviation. While environmental considerations are undoubtedly important, prioritizing economic development offers tangible solutions to immediate socio-economic challenges, ensuring a more prosperous future for Brazil's citizens.

Poverty

Despite its vast natural resources, Brazil continues to grapple with poverty. As of 2021, 36.7% of the Brazilian population lived below the poverty line, with 9% enduring extreme poverty. In response to these economic challenges, Brazil's newly elected President, Jair Bolsonaro, made significant changes by dismissing key environmental officials and reducing enforcement measures. His administration's stance was clear: the Amazon was open for business.

Consequently, large swathes of the Amazon rainforest have been cleared for agricultural purposes, logging, and cattle farming, all contributing to economic growth and poverty alleviation. Additionally, hydroelectric dams were erected in the Amazon to meet energy demands.

These initiatives have yielded tangible results, with the poverty rate dropping to 31.6% and the extreme poverty rate declining to 5.9% by 2022. Additionally, there are also other specific argument areas that students could explore, including education benefits, inflation reduction, tourism benefits etc. Citation

1. Brown, S; April 23, 2024; Monga Bay; “Amid record-high fires across the Amazon, Brazil loses primary forests”; https://news.mongabay.com/2024/04/amid-record-high-fires-across-the-amazon-brazil-loses-primary-forests/

2. Convention on Biological Diversity; “Brazil- country profile”; https://www.cbd.int/countries/profile?country=br

3. Food & Agriculture Organization; September 21, 2021; Country Profiles; “Fisheries and aquaculture”; https://www.fao.org/fishery/en/facp/BRA

4. Global Witness; February 21, 2024; “The Cerrado crisis: Brazil’s deforestation frontline”; https://www.globalwitness.org/en/campaigns/forests/the-cerrado-crisis-brazils-deforestation-frontline/

5. Gomez, Irene. “Poverty Drops to 31.6% of the Population in 2022, after Reaching 36.7% in 2021: News Agency.” IBGE, 12 Dec. 2023, agenciadenoticias.ibge.gov.br/en/agencia-news/2184-news-agency/news/38574-poverty-drops-to-31-6-of-the-population-in-2022-after-reaching-36-7-in-2021.

6. Maisonnave, F; September 17, 2023; Associated Press; “Brazil restores stricter climate goals”; https://apnews.com/article/brazil-climate-change-ndc-cop-deforestation-lula-bolsonaro-ed9b5f7ac1c2e326091898e96fe4d67f

7. Mazzetti, C; April 9, 2024; Greenpeace; “Financial institutions are funding deforestation in the Amazon”; https://www.greenpeace.org/international/story/66325/banks-financial-institutions-deforestation-amazon-brazil/

8. Rattman, V; June 20, 2023; Fair Planet; “Despite advances, Brazil’s environmental strategy remains flawed”; https://www.fairplanet.org/editors-pick/despite-advances-brazils-environmental-strategy-remains-flawed/

9. Santos, SF; January 1, 2024; BBC; “Amazon rainforest: Deforestation rate halved in 2023”; https://www.bbc.com/news/world-latin-america-67962297

10. Spring, J; September 20, 2023; Reuters; “Brazil to revise climate targets to cut emissions by 53% by 2030- sources”; https://www.reuters.com/sustainability/brazil-revise-climate-targets-cut-emissions-53-by-2030-source-2023-09-19/

11. Tondo, S; October 5, 2023; ProMarket; “Brazil demonstrates the challenge of balancing growth and sustainability”; https://www.promarket.org/2023/10/05/brazil-demonstrates-the-challenge-of-balancing-growth-and-sustainability/

12. World Bank; October 25, 2023; “The Brazil of the Future: towards Productivity, Inclusion, and Sustainability”; https://worldbank.org/en/country/brazil/publication/brazil-future-towards-productivity-inclusion-sustainability

13. World Weather Attribution; June 3, 2024; “Climate change, El Nino and infrastructure failures behind massive floods in southern Brazil”; https://www.worldweatherattribution.org/climate-change-made-the-floods-in-southern-brazil-twice-as-likely/看完了上面的辩题介绍

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