Editing Disadvantage (section)

===Uniqueness===

Uniqueness shows why the impacts have not occurred yet or to a substantial extent and will ''uniquely'' occur with the adoption of either the affirmative's plan or the negative's counterplan.<ref name=":1">{{Cite web |last=Kellams |first=James |date=4 September 2017 |title=Elements of Policy Debate: Disadvantages |url=http://everydaydebate.blogspot.com/2017/09/policy-arguments-disads.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240112074041/http://everydaydebate.blogspot.com/2017/09/policy-arguments-disads.html |archive-date=12 January 2024 |access-date=16 March 2024 |website=Everyday Debate}}</ref>

For example, the negative team argues that the affirmative plan will result in nuclear proliferation, it would also argue that the status quo will avoid nuclear proliferation.  If the Affirmative claims that nuclear proliferation is already occurring, the negative team could argue that adoption of the plan would result in a ''unique'' increase in nuclear proliferation.  If the plan causes no net change in the rate of nuclear proliferation, the disadvantage is not unique to the plan, and therefore not relevant.