A recent report on Space.com introduced the idea that some scientists believe we have entered what they call the “Lunar Anthropocene.” In other words, the Moon is entering a phase in which human activities will play a significant role in its natural history, much like Earth’s own Anthropocene.
This is of course true. The first effects of Soviet probes occurred in the 1960s; scars and piles of metal and plastic were embedded in the regolith. Apollo program It left everything on its surface, from footprints to flags, from equipment to waste bags. In today’s international Moon Rush, probes, landers and rovers are hitting, passing over, poking at it, and soon the first private commercial expeditions will begin mining it for resources. In the next ten years, people will come backI hope it stays forever, which means building Lunar Ports, habitats, energy infrastructure, and creating even more waste.
of the world Anthropocene This process began long ago, when our civilization changed the course of the planet with increasingly intrusive patterns of living, consumption, and destruction. But other than the term itself and its implication regarding the level of human influence on the world in question, there is little in common between the two, and the results will be very different.
Relating to: The moon has been altered due to human activities. ‘Are we in the Lunar Anthropocene?’
The expansion of human society on Earth has in many ways been an assault on the planet’s living biome. We have razed, burned, harvested and gutted ecosystems in the name of our industrial expansion. We changed Homeworld’s operating system by the simple act of increasing our population and meeting its needs. Worse still, until very recently we were doing this without any thought or concern about the huge risks at risk, and now we are on the verge of the collapse of that system.
The coming Lunar Age will be similar in that the hand of humanity will be irreversibly changed. moon forever (and already exists). However, in the case of the planetary body in question, their effects will be just the opposite in a fundamental and primary respect. While on Earth, our expansion was an attack on the planet’s living systems; On the moon, we bring life to a place that is now dead.
This difference is critical to how we perceive, examine, and even organize what we do on the moon and, indeed, the new and inanimate places we may end up in the future. Fully scientific study of such a pristine environment is very important and preservation of important featuresFrom both scientific and aesthetic perspectives, historical sites also need to be identified, such as the “first” ones, such as the first landing sites, and even the collapsed remains of these first probes. But in the equation of life history UniverseThe outcome of any judgment about the what, where and how of any conservation should lean toward the expansion of humanity and habitat rather than consideration of the idealized pristine state of dead rock and ice.
We cannot slow down this expansion. On the contrary, I strongly argue that we must do everything we can – a lot – to accelerate this so that there are no “anthros” left alive. Opening the High Frontier of Space is too vital to our survival to allow anything to upset it. Science is important, but we can’t expect every little nook and cranny of every rock we encounter to be scrutinized ad nauseam for every possible clue and data point regarding current knowledge before advancing into each new area. We must find a balance, a way to expand our knowledge base even as we expand the foundation of our civilization.
But it is important that we never again move our industrial society forward and outward as we do on our own planet. We cannot carry the culture of looting and looting and unbridled capitalist money-grabbing into this new future in the name of state strategies. If there is any garbage to be thrown into space or the moon, it is garbage made with old methods. We must apply what we learn here to what we do outside, otherwise there is no point in going, at least for me.
As the human hand places itself in control of the future of the moon and ultimately the entire universe solar system, let’s guide what we do by taking into consideration what we have done before. Let us learn, grow and do better, let us not repeat the primitive cycles of monkeys with shovels and guns that characterized our time on this rock. This means developing a new set of guidelines, norms, moral and ethical codes that are so deeply ingrained that they go beyond rules and laws, even as they inform them.
Relating to: Who owns the moon?
For example, in 1987, I wrote the Lunar Ecology Code as a thought paper and presented it at various conferences. When I look at it now, it’s a bit crude and naive. For example, I was obviously a little off about using the term “Echo” meaning life (the moon is dead again). Still, the idea was fundamentally a good one; developing a set of guidelines on how we can do it. both develop the Moon and preserve special places and things for future generations.
Here’s an updated version of some of these points:
We agree that all nations will explore and develop the moon and its resources on the basis of standard good governance agreements. (This can be created based on the current situation.) Artemis Accords Distributed by the US government and its partners.)
We established an organ, based on similar organs on Earth, to inspect the places on the Moon where human beings explore and to declare these places closed to unauthorized entry through international agreements. (Exceptions are allowed for scientific and historical research as agreed by the controlling body. For example, it would be good to know what happened to some of the materials from these early studies over the decades.)
We agree that this organization, or another organization created for this purpose, should be allowed to propose significant lunar features and regions that may be argued to be outside the limits of human development, to be reviewed and voted on by the international community.
We insist that all nations operating on the Moon adopt a culture based, to the greatest extent possible, on these concepts when it comes to the things they bring to the lunar surface and the waste they create:
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Recycle
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reuse
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reuse
Even as we deal with the unfettered consequences of low-Earth orbit, the Moon offers us a chance to leave Earth’s “use-and-throw-away” culture behind. And given the economics of having to transport or recreate each piece of material, be it packaging, metal or plastic, it makes sense to establish these concepts as rules in any standard. moon society.
There are other elements of human activity on the Moon that we will have to address, and many of them we will have to live with – for example, the creation of an atmosphere, however tenuous, as a byproduct of our existence.
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The authors of the Lunar Anthropocene concept have done us a favor. Whether or not you agree with them or me on any or all of these, it’s time to begin a serious, results-oriented conversation. Some already exist.
Groups like For All Moon Types and the Hague Institute for Global Justice are leading such policy discussions. My own EarthLight Foundation, as the first eco-centric space organization, strongly supports our transition to a green and respectful culture in space, even as we develop and utilize its resources. For this purpose, we started to distribute the agreement we call the Earth-Space Agreement among space leaders.
Now is the time to attract the attention of the powers at play, as doing so will be much more difficult later. So, dear reader, you have a job to do. I guess if you’ve read this far, you’re a space fan, supporter or revolutionary like me. This is one of the issues that falls into the “we do it ourselves, or they do it to us” category.
Wherever you live in this precious world, connect with people in your country who are reaching the next level or who can influence how it happens. Make sure they hear your voice when you say you love what they’re doing, but can we please do it right this time?
Rick Tumlinson is the founder. Space FundA venture capital firm that invests in space startups. Also installed: Space Frontier Foundation, World Light Foundation, He was a founding board member of Space Cowboy Ball. X Prize Foundation and hosts the Space Revolution podcast.