Electric cars should be adopted, while limiting gas-powered cars

My opponent brings up a number of refutes he made which are mainly based off of assumption. Opponent's first point: Electric cars ultimately get their electricity from coal Response: Falling use of coal: Speaking generally, my opponent, despite producing numbers, assumes that coal is the node of electricity powering the cars. While in some area, this may be true, but it is not a universal truth, as my opponent suggests. I noticed that my opponent seem to point out the countries with the highest coal use in the world, ignoring a large majority of European and North American countries with much lower coal production, which really is where these electric cars will target. America, with a 23% (and declining) use of coal, is completely ignored (1). Europe and its declining use of coal is also overlooked. According to recent surveys, " The EU has seen its historic rise in energy use reversed through a combination of energy efficiency, structural changes in the economy and rising prices. Its use of fossil fuels is starting to fall, with coal use in particular down by two-fifths since 1990. And energy from renewables has tripled" (2). Since my opponent's second point depends on his first, and I just refuted his first, his second point is now voided. 1) http://www.smartdraw.com... 2) http://www.carbonbrief.org... Since my previous body was on the falling use of coal, I feel it necessary to segregate it from my next body, which will focus on the rising use of renewables, which would be the source powering the electric transportation system I propose. However, I would like to address his third argument before I propose new points. My opponent's 3rd point: People do not want aggressive, powerful cars, as I suggested as a reason on why the electric market is not increasing as fast as it ought to. Response: My opponent bluntly stated "My opposition here has fallen for a stereotype that people want strong, powerful cars. This just isn't true. We are in the 21st not the 20th century". My opponent failed to produce any numbers, surveys, studies, or cites confirming that the general public is less interested in powerful cars. Simply saying that live in the 21st century does not poise itself as a legitimate argument. Since my opponent failed to support his statement, I will support my refute: - Ford Mustangs (powerful, aggressive cars) sales are through the roof http://www.usatoday.com... - The Chevy Camaro is making a huge comeback http://www.detroitnews.com... These points go along with my statement that the general public is not educated enough on the how's and why's of electric transportation. First, for the audience and for clarification, I would like to provide a brief definition of 'renewable energy' that Oxford provides: renewable energy NOUN energy from a source that is not depleted when used, such as wind or solar power: "the environmental benefits of renewable energy" 1. Use of Renewables rising: For the first time in history, in 2014, the global economy grew by 3%, while stalling its global output of pollution (1). To go along with that, recent studies have revealed China's growing ability to produce, retain, and use hydroelectric power (2). The U.S. government assert the superiority of electric vehicles and domestic renewable energy (3). 1) http://www.evwind.es... 2) http://www.gov.cn... 3) http://energy.gov... So what does this have to do with electric transportation? Well, for one, it shows milestones of progress in the scientific community to achieve more efficient uses of clean, renewable energy. This energy can then be used to power EVs (electric vehicles) nationally, and eventually, globally. My opponent mentions the use of coal in developing countries. Since I have addressed his coal concern, I will now address the other side of the argument he failed to defend against- development in countries. 2. What gases do for development in countries India, popularly known as one of the most polluted nations on the planet, has also seen increasing dependence on diesel/gas imports (1). The environment of India is rapidly declining (2), causing massive concern for the health of the nation. If you look at the trends, one can easily see that as gas/diesel dependence rises, environmental integrity decreases. They move in correlation with one another. Now, my opponent already acknowledges that oil causes declines in environment, but I wished to assert my argument with more vigor and evidence. What my true point of this, ultimately, is the prospect of job creation in the renewable energy business. 1)http://archive.financialexpress.com... 2) http://www.theguardian.com... 3. STEM creation in renewable energies/electric vehicles Present: Currently, oil rig workers make an average of 32,132.00$/year. This is far below the poverty line, which ranges from 45,000-50,000$ in most states (1). It is rated by many as one of the worst jobs in America, highlighted by the psychological and physical exhaustion of the workers. 1) http://www.careercast.com... Prospect: An adoption of an EV society will help boost STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics) related careers. Looking at salary and pay, as I did for a large populous employed by the oil industry, the electrical field far surpasses the oil-producing field. I will use an electrical engineer, the largest component to EVs, as my basis. The bottom 10% of electrical engineers make, on average, $56,156.00 annually. The bottom 25% makes $60,277.00. The median of the ranges makes $68,804.00 a year. The top 75% make $70,037.00, while the top 90% make $74,802.00 (1). Not once in any of these salaries did the worker dip below the poverty line. These salaries provide comfortable living for the worker and their family. Electrical engineers often carry degrees, ranging from an Associates to a Doctoral, while oil rig workers commonly do not, and some don't even graduate from high school. The only requirements for an oil rig worker consists of a First Aid Certificate, H2S Alive Certificate, and a standard Driver's License. 1)http://www1.salary.com... Since we do have two more rounds, I will stop here. More arguments will be posed when necessary. I congratulate my opponent on good debates so far, and I look forward to the progression of the debate. However, here are some questions pointed at my opponent I wish to throw into the arena: -What does humanity do when the oil reserves start to dry up? -Why should the U.S. force itself militarily into the Middle East (ex: Persian Gulf War) for oil, rather than creating safe, economically driving jobs domestically? If my opponent chooses to answer these questions, she/he can do so in an informal method. Evidence and citations would be awesome, but not needed. "If aliens did visit us, I'd be embarrassed to tell them we still dig up fossil fuels from the ground as a source of energy." -Neil deGrasse Tyson https://twitter.com...