Published on 12, July, 2020
Apparently World space week has just started - This is what it's about this year:
"This significant week of space celebration will highlight the critical role of satellites and space technology in monitoring environmental shifts and formulating strategies to mitigate the impacts of climate change.'
So, this "monitoring" of the earth by satellites is going to mitigate all the resource use and emissions produced in building and launching space technology, is it?
Yeah, space technology sounds exciting, but it's always been my opinion that problems like poverty and hunger need to be solved first.
Plus, the earth and climate changed drastically many times before humans even appeared. Maybe it's a bit egotistical for people to think they can control a planet?
Just my thoughts. Happy to hear yours, but please be respectful to each other if views differ.
Thanks
Space: the final frontier.
I'm going to leave now, before the discussion becomes too heated.
That's the problem for me though - the mega rich have the funds and the brains to work out how to solve the problems of poverty and hunger long term (not just the usual "Band aid" solution of making not very well off people feel bad and donate money by showing them starving babies, which doesn't provide dignity and a long term solution) But they'd rather use up the Earth's resources trying to live on Mars.
I agree that the human race will continue expanding and I also don't think that's a good idea, but it has been shown that if you provide education to girls and give them the opportunity of a career and access to healthcare, they have fewer children. It's all about quality of life.
But maybe the multi billionaires think that it's a good thing for populations to be reduced, so they can have all the resources they want for their server farms, their space missions, their AI and robot research , and their "fake food factories"?
Hi Pixiefox - another interesting idea for discussion!
I'm totally for space exploration - for the knowledge and benefit of mankind (not your Elons and the Amazon guy).
I think that world hunger etc should absolutely be worked on - but I also think that they are currently a bottomless pit of causes. No amount of money would be enough and nothing else would ever happen. National Autistic Society? - NO! That money can be used for world hunger. The play that you may want to see, that film? That publishing house of those books you want to read? NO! That money can be used for world hunger. Also, the human race will expand into any created gaps, and there will once again be world hunger.
I say this from a position of relative privilege of course,
Thanks for another great thread!
Interesting - thanks for the reply.
So how do satellites register that factories are producing illegal contaminants or high levels of methane? What type of factories are they, what do they produce, will production of what they make be stopped?
Pixiefox said:Plus, the earth and climate changed drastically many times before humans even appeared. Maybe it's a bit egotistical for people to think they can control a planet?
Speed is the important factor here. We are changing it much quicker than the vast majority of natural processes.
Pixiefox said:So, this "monitoring" of the earth by satellites is going to mitigate all the resource use and emissions produced in building and launching space technology, is it?
While I agree that it probably won't offset it, satellites have successfully been used to track down factories producing illegal contaminants such as CFCs, and places producing much more methane than they say they are. It is very useful in that way.