| Choosing A Space Age Or A Stone
Age?
Arthur R. Woods and Marco C. Bernasconi
A slightly edited version of this essay appeared in
Space News - Oct. 2- 8, 1995
There is no need to list the many
challenges facing humanity as it enters the next century. Be they
environmental, political,
economic or social, the problems are both obvious and immediate.
Most can be linked to the overwhelming success of the human species
over the past 200 hundred years - a success that has resulted
in it occupying every available niche and exploiting every available
earthly resource for living, working and maintaining its society.
With the human population presently growing at a rate of almost
100 million persons a year, is it not too soon to ask a fundamental
question: "Has humanity outgrown its home planet Earth?"
While most people do acknowledge - at least on an intellectual
level - that the Universe is extremely large, they instinctively
assume that the relevance of the Universe (beyond Earth) on human
affairs is nil. Comparing our physical planet to the rest of the
Universe, or even more modestly to the rest of the Solar System,
it is apparent that Earth is a just a very small piece of reality.
Therefore, if one considers the Universe, its potential significance
for our common future is proportional to the ratio between it and
our small planet with its finite and rapidly disappearing resources.
Thus, human destiny on Earth is irrevocably linked to human destiny
in space.
Even those who do recognize in some way the significance of human
activities in space, tend to consider them to be very "near
Earth" activities which support our current society in a political
and, to a smaller extent, economic manner. As a consequence, even
this group would value space development and astronautics as a
human activity to be developed within the context of the available
financial resources. Most people in the general public would likely
agree that: On Earth there are more immediate and pressing concerns
and that, as an important area for human activity, space is a luxury
that society can postpone. However, as pointed out by space pioneer
Krafft Ehricke in 1970:
"While civilization is more than a high
material living standard, it is nevertheless based on material
abundance.
It does not thrive
on abject poverty or in an atmosphere of resignation and
hopelessness. It needs vigor as well as vision. Therefore the
end objectives
of solar system exploration are social objectives in the
sense that they relate to, or are dictated by, present and
future human
needs".
An analysis of society's current approaches to meeting
the challenges of the future can be categorized into two scenarios:
The End of Cornucopia - when the current business-as-usual approach
to human affairs meets the carrying capacity of the planet. This
approach is founded on the blind faith that Life has never been
better - so where is the problem? and that science and technology
will find the appropriate fix when it is forced to do so.
Unsustainable Development - when the real concern and reflexive
drive to preserve nature results in measures to husband and eventually,
to ration Earth's dwindling resources and consequently turns off
the economic motor that is now creating the promise of global prosperity.
This approach relies on a zero-growth philosophy that demands a
fundamental change in human nature - a change which will miraculously
occur when humanity wakes up to the fallacy of its exploitative
ways.
Both of these approaches to the future are futile and ineffectual
attempts at survival, and both are sure prescriptions for much
human misery, despotism and eventually - for the end of civilization.
Considering the number of human beings that are expected to be
around in the next 25 years - 8 billion or so - the beginning
of the end of our civilization may be only a generation away.
However, there is another approach to these dismal future scenarios.
Called The Space Option it takes into account human nature and
still offers an optimistic approach to meeting humanity's ever
increasing needs. It is an option that appeals strongly to the
human spirit by offering a creative and realistic approach to meeting
and solving many of our civilization's impending problems.
The Space Option is an evolutionary plan to significantly meet
the basic and anticipated needs of human societies on Earth through
the utilization of extraterrestrial resources - not for the in-situ
support of science or exploration - but rather to apply these resources
and/or their products for use on Earth at a conspicuous level.
Obviously energy from space is central to the implementation of
The Space Option. Unlimited amounts of clean energy imported to
Earth from space would significantly contribute to the restoration
of the environment while avoiding the environmental and political
consequences associated with the steady depletion of our fossil
fuel reserves and the increasing use of brown coal and/or nuclear
power. Having a plentiful supply of clean energy would not only
perpetuate the lifestyle of the developed nations, but would continue
to provide the basic means for further stimulating the economies
of the developing countries. As such, future generations would
be guaranteed a sufficient supply of energy and other material
resources for their development and today's less fortunate societies
would be provided with hope that they, too, could aspire to improve
their living standard beyond their present situation.
If one considers the true boundary of Earth as defined by its gravitational
influence and not by its atmosphere, then Earth actually has a
diameter of 3 million km. This sphere has 13 million times the
volume of the physical Earth and through it, passes some 30,000
times the amount of solar power which is available on the surface
of Earth. Enormous amounts of other resources, including the Moon,
are located within the borders of this larger and richer planet.
Like the territorial waters surrounding nations - these resources
belong to our planet and could and should be used for its ultimate
benefit.
Thus, going into space in the next century may only mean extending
our civilization to the limits of a larger redefined Planet Earth
and consequently utilizing the bountiful resources to be found
within. Astronautics, space technology and the knowledge that humanity
has accumulated over the past 35 (40) years are there to open up
this potentially huge new arena for human activities.
For the environmentalists, The Space
Option is the ultimate environmental
solution. For the Cornucopians, it is the technological fix that
they are relying on. For the hard core space community, the obvious
by-product would be the eventual exploration and settlement of
the solar system. For most of humanity however, the ultimate benefit
is having a realistic hope in a future with possibilities. Indeed,
The Space Option is humanity's most optimistic approach to its
future.
Our civilization is at its peak - we have the means today to implement
The Space Option but not yet the commitment. However, if our species
does not soon embrace this unique opportunity with sufficient commitment,
it may miss its one and only chance to do so. Humanity could soon
be overwhelmed by one or more of the many challenges it now faces.
The window of opportunity is closing as fast as the population
is increasing. As the 20th century draws to a close, the main challenge
to the space community will be informing and then convincing the
public of the viability of The Space
Option as the only optimistic
alternative to the other current approaches to human destiny because
our future will be either A Space Age or a Stone Age.
Copyright © 1995 The OURS Foundation |
