We should find cure for aging

Environmental Impacts A. The industrial/technological system is the main factor behind global warming. We know that global warming is man made and a result of the industrial-technological revolution is because of the amount of low isotope carbon-14 found in the atmosphere. Something that mainly comes from burning fossil fuels. . http://ossfoundation.us... This type of problem is only going to get worse with an increased population. If we increase lifespan it's going to kill the environment and then we're all dead. B. Let's face it. We know that the only people benefiting from life extension technologies are going to be the same people in industrialized nations who are just relentlessly destroying the environment, with no signs of stopping. More then 14,000 people die from drinking polluted water every day [1]. Nearly half a billion people do not have access to safe drinking water [2]. I've only mentioned the human element so far. This pollution is also causing extremely harmful affects on underwater ecosystems as well. The sources of this harmful phenomenon is mostly human caused and as a result of the industrial-technological system. If you look at the sources of water pollution in the cited article you will come to the same conclusion [3]. [1] . http://environment.about.com... [2] . http://www.nytimes.com... [3] . http://en.m.wikipedia.org... C. Air pollution is going to get worse with more people on the planet. The industrial technological system has harmed the quality of the air we breathe. Smog is something caused by pollutants from internal combustion engines of cars as well as industrial fumes from factories. [1] The health affects of smog are harmful to everyone but especially children, the elderly, those with bronchitis, emphysema, and asthma [2]. Curing aging is only making these problems worse and more common. [1] . http://en.m.wikipedia.org... [2] . http://web.archive.org... This can't be stressed enough. Having more people live longer in industrialized society is going to send Earth to hell in a hand basket. We as a society can't let our own selfish pursuits be the very thing that destroys us. Harm To Animals A. We try to psychologically shield ourselves from the torturous factory farming that really hurts animals. I'm not talking about ethical farming here. The only way we can feasibly and cheaply feed a society this large is through factory farming. The longer people live the more extreme suffering we're causing animals. Factory farming has reduced animals to mere cogs in the machine. Animals are out in cages that are extremely crowded . They live their whole lives barely able to move. [1] They are on many occasions force fed in a way that causes extreme damage and pain [2]. They are debeaked [3]. This is just a short list of the abuse these animals take to feed the industrial-technological system. [1] . http://www.washingtonpost.com... [2] . http://www.m.humanesociety.org... [3] . http://www.mercyforanimals.org... B. I've already shown how underwater ecosystems are being destroyed by the industrial-technological system. Now let's move on to other ecosystems. Over 50% of plant and animal species live in the rainforest[1]. The majority of the deforestation occurring in these areas can be directly contributed to the industrial-technological system [2]. [1] . http://www.nature.org... [2] . http://unfccc.int... Attack On The Poor and Young My main arguments were that we'd make the industrial/technological machine bigger and harm the planet and animals, but there are other factors to consider as well. With all this aging gone, it will be impossible to get promotions at work. Older people retire or move on and open up spots for younger people to take over. Professional and management positions or rife with old people looking to retire or die. Once you put some eternally youthful guy there you've just screwed a young guy just starting out in life and instead of this guy being doomed to middle management he is now doomed to be bottom of the barrel indefinitely. Let's be honest here. Science progresses when old people die. The longer you've been in the scientific field the more stubborn you get. Science never truly progresses until the old people holding on to their stubborn beliefs retire or die and make room for more creative free thinking youth to enter the picture. Also if you take a look at a lot of extremely wealthy people, they're good savers. I mean that's how they got wealthy. Now when they die, their money is taxed or inherited and typically their less frugal kids and grand kids blow it all and put it all back into the economy. If you think the wealth divide is huge now, try giving all these frugal millionaires and indefinite lifespan. The best thing you can do to create a society of hopeless young poor people, unable to make their way in the world is to cure aging. Conclusion Sure on the surface ending aging sounds wonderful, but when you look at the environmental impacts, the increased torture of animals and the effect on the young that rosy picture quickly fades away. I'll go into rebuttals and final statements in the next round.