Is the space race undermining our climate change initiatives?
I have to admit that the inner child in me was delighted to see William Shatner, age 90, finally make it into space!
A destiny fulfilled for Captain Kirk of the Starship Enterprise, the same way the first space shuttle was named “Enterprise” after the iconic spacecraft. A story of science fiction and science fact merging to become one.
However, space tourism leaves me feeling uncomfortable. Now I know I drive car and contribute to the pollution of the planet, and I don’t spend every weekend hugging trees, but space tourism, seems to me, escapism on a non-sensical scale.
I am more inclined to agree with Prince William, when he said that we should use our brains (and I would add our brass) to save the planet we are on, not try and find the next place to go.
Whether you reach 53 miles high, 63 miles high or have actually made it up into space, it strikes me that Bezos, Branson and Musk whilst claiming to want to save the planet, are actually leading yet another controversial quest. As billionaires, they seem blind to this.
I understand that when you’re in orbit that your perspective of earth must change when you look at our blue planet and realise how interconnected everything is. But there is a huge price to be paid for people to be able to do that.
They reckon that the market for space travel will be worth £3Bn in the next 5 years. The current prices for space travel, (£250K - £500K) could only be affordable for approximately 2 million people around the world. However, as with any sort of technology, the more accessible it becomes the more the price drops.
But is this what everybody wants?
Are the children that are forced to work in sweatshops really looking into the future for space tourism?
Are the rough sleepers who don’t have a roof over their head hoping that some day they will be able to orbit the earth?
Are our children, the generation living through climate change, interested in potentially one day boarding a spacecraft to enjoy birds eye view of our dying planet?
I don’t think so. We have bigger fish to fry.
When you put into perspective the resources and technology that goes into space discovery, and comparing it to the potentially critical difference it could make back here on earth… It seems mad that the billionaires, the people who have the funds to really make change, aren’t doing more to help.
The automotive industry is currently in a huge transitional period, where the entire sector is pushing their hardest in order to meet the government’s sustainable development goal, an initiative that looks to be undermined by a billionaire space race!
Is space tourism something you’re excited for? Let us know in the comments below!
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