A vegetarian diet is to be preferred over an omnivorous diet

In my third and unfortunately final round, I will have to point out either a reoccurring misunderstanding or Strawman on Con’s side, refute Con’s claims that are relevant to the debate, mention a flaw in Con’s debating conduct (not having cited a single source for any of his claims) and extend my arguments from round 2.Misunderstanding/possible Strawman:You have tried on several occasions to change the topic of the debate. In round 1 I clearly describe that “This debate will be about whether a well-balanced vegetarian diet is generally to be preferred over a well-balanced omnivorous diet.”. You, on the other hand, misrepresented my position in round 1 by claiming that my position is as follows: “A curious proposition, that asks if there is a general preference for vegetarianism.”. As I assumed that it might just be a misunderstanding I reaffirmed that this debate will be about whether “a vegetarian diet is to be preferred over an omnivorous diet” in round 2. Regardless, you continued to misrepresent my position in round 2 as if my position was “a vegetarian diet is preferred over an omnivorous diet”. As per the ‘Debate.org (DDO): New Users Guide’ however, “If anything is not clearly defined by the instigator (usually pro) in the first round, English common usage wins.” [1]. According to English common usage “is to be” can be replaced by “should be” in this context [2],[3],[4].Therefore, the title of this debate means the same as “A vegetarian diet should be preferred over an omnivorous diet” in contrast to your claim that the title of my debate implies that “A vegetarian diet is preferred over an omnivorous diet”. In the ‘Debate.org (DDO): New Users Guide’, voters are suggested to ‘use their judgement for how much the tactic of misrepresenting a debater’s view (which Con did) by changing definitions weakens the argument and conduct of the misrepresenter’.This misunderstanding or Strawman has unfortunately led to much of my opponent’s claims being irrelevant for this debate such as his unsourced assertion that “statistical evidence does prove that approximately 78% of the world's population has ameat inclusive diet”. Regardless of this, my opponent has made some claims that are relevant to this debate and that I will address.Rebuttal:1.My opponent has asserted (again without citing any sources) that “The expectation of an ever increasing life span, could be regarded as being just as immoral as eating meat.” As ‘maintaining our energy dependant and materialistic lifestyles, has a far greater negative impact than eating meat.’. As my opponent has not cited any sources for this assertion it is difficult to take my opponent’s assertion serious as I have explained, elaborated and supported with credible sources (peer-reviewed scientific studies) in round 2 that “According to a 2017 study, livestock farming is responsible for at least 14.5% of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and is estimated to be responsible for at least 51% of global GHG emissions” and that “long-term (≥ 2 decades) adherence to a vegetarian diet can lead to a significant 3.6-year increase in life expectancy”. An average person lives for approximately 79 years in the United States [5] and a person with an omnivorous diet is responsible for approximately 20-30% more GHG emissions [6]. Therefore, the increased lifespan of, on average, 3.6 years only makes up for between 12 (3.6/0.3) and 18 (3.6/0.2) years which still leaves between 67 to 61 years in which the person with the omnivorous diet is responsible for between 20 to 30% more GHG emissions.2. My opponent has claimed that “Lifestyles vary greatly and nutritional requirements vary accordingly. A "well balanced" diet for one person may not be a"well balanced diet for another.”. As my opponent has unfortunately not cited a source for this assertion either, I will not be able to address the basis of his assertion. However, a 2009 report by the American Dietetic Association, has concluded that “Well-planned vegetarian diets are appropriate for individuals during all stages of the life cycle” and that “appropriately planned vegetarian diets, including total vegetarian or vegan diets, are healthful, nutritionally adequate, and may provide health benefits in the prevention and treatment of certain diseases.”[7]. Therefore, it can be concluded that a vegetarian diet should be preferred over an omnivorous diet.In conclusion, according to the ‘Debate.org (DDO): New Users Guide’, Con has a duty to refute all arguments provided by pro, Con has however admitted that a vegetarian diet could be better than an omnivorous diet in the long-term which confirms my resolution unless Con would like to argue that, even though a vegetarian diet would be better, it should not be preferred for some reason.I would also like to remind my opponent that, according to the ‘Debate.org (DDO): New Users Guide’, “As a general rule, the final round is not the time for epiphanies.” and therefore my opponent should not start making new arguments in his next round that I can not rebut simply because I’m not able to respond anymore after his next round. Additionally, I would like to request my opponent to cite his sources as even though Con admitted himself to not be prepared to be very attentive to and concerned about accuracy and detail [8] in this debate, making claims without citing sources weakens his case significantly and makes his claims unreliable.Resolution of the debate:Overall, it can be concluded that a vegetarian diet should preferred over an omnivorous diet as it is generally healthier, better for the environment and because the extended suffering animals endure outweigh the short pleasure of eating meat.Thank you for the debate.Sources:[1]: Google Docs. (2018). Debate.org (DDO): New Users Guide. [online] Available at: https://docs.google.com...# [Accessed 13 Jul. 2018].[2]: be'?, m. (2018). meaning of 'is to be'?. [online] English Language Learners Stack Exchange. Available at: https://ell.stackexchange.com... [Accessed 13 Jul. 2018].[3]: Bbc.co.uk. (2018). Learning English | BBC World Service. [online] Available at: http://www.bbc.co.uk... [Accessed 13 Jul. 2018].[4]: [online] Usingenglish.com. Available at: https://www.usingenglish.com... [Accessed 13 Jul. 2018].[5]: Google.co.uk. (2018). World Development Indicators - Google Public Data Explorer . [online] Available at: https://www.google.co.uk... [Accessed 13 Jul. 2018].[6]: Aleksandrowicz L, Green R, Joy EJM, Smith P, Haines A. The Impacts of Dietary Change on Greenhouse Gas Emissions, Land Use, Water Use, and Health: A Systematic Review. Wiley AS, ed. PLoS ONE. 2016;11(11):e0165797. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0165797.[7]: Craig WJ, Mangels AR; American Dietetic Association. Position of the American Dietetic Association: vegetarian diets. J Am Diet Assoc. 2009 Jul;109(7):1266-82.PubMed PMID: 19562864.[8]: Oxford Dictionaries | English. (2018). fastidious | Definition of fastidious in English by Oxford Dictionaries. [online] Available at: https://en.oxforddictionaries.com... [Accessed 13 Jul. 2018].