Space technology
Technological innovations made initially for outer space missions have had secondary uses for the Earth. These have helped reduce the impacts of climate change.
An unlimited outer-space source that has been used by humans since the earliest civilisations, is the sun.
In 1839, the advancement of technology led to the invention of solar cells. They were first used by space organisations like NASA. For example, their space craft, the International Space Station, had solar panels on its wings to power the station. This then encouraged the use of solar power as a more sustainable method for obtaining energy on Earth.
However, replacing unsustainable energy sources such as fossil fuels with solar power to achieve zero carbon emissions would be very difficult, as they have lowered efficiency and they still have negative environmental impacts. Although the energy source used for this method is sustainable and unlimited, the process used to make solar cells is harmful to the atmosphere due to the chemicals used and this includes risks with contaminating water sources and reducing air quality. The disposal of solar panels is also harmful to the environment as these valuable resources end up as landfill waste. They also release chemicals that break down into toxic substances, leading to a further polluted environment.
Some space technology, such as the GPS, was found to be useful in reducing carbon emissions. Initially, GPS satellites were used to improve navigation systems, but they came with additional benefits. For air-crafts, sea vessels, and land vehicles, the efficiency of the GPS has reduced the length of journeys, therefore reducing carbon emissions massively and becoming less wasteful of limited resources.
NASA’s involvement in helping the environment
In the past, space research has helped solved global environmental issues.
In 1989, the use of chlorofluorocarbons led to ozone depletion. This meant a growing hole in the ozone layer lay above the South Pole. This was revealed by NASA satellite data and was efficiently averted by the Montreal Protocol, stabilised on the 15th of September 1987, being the first UN treaty ratified by every country on the planet. Due to this satellite data, chlorofluorocarbons, which were previously used commercially for aerosols, solvents or refrigerants, were mostly banned worldwide. This is an example of when monitoring the Earth’s atmosphere from space has led to the prevention of the usage of harmful gases.
With more than 16 Earth-observing satellites, NASA has helped to create detailed data on climate change. Their spacecraft observes many aspects of the Earth; atmosphere, biosphere, cryosphere, hydrosphere and lithosphere. The data collected helps monitor the progress of climate change techniques, allowing them to be adapted accordingly. It also includes future predictions for global rainfall and temperature patterns which allows people to understand how to adapt to these global changes.
NASA probes have been used to understand the climate of other planets in the Solar System. Venus has an uninhabitable environment, due to its evolution. Ultraviolet sun rays has caused its water to boil away and has led to its scorched environment. In the picture displayed above, a climate model was used by NASA to create possible land-sea configurations that depict how Venus' once inhabitable environment could have looked like. This research allows scientists to use this as a model and understand what mitigation methods work best against global warming on Earth. Mars was also once an inhabitable planet, with a water supply and reasonable temperatures. The involvement of human technology on its surface has allowed scientists to study its transformation into a dry, dust-covered planet. This will then allow them to find ways to advance technology to terraform the atmosphere of Mars, with the possibility to inhabit it in the future.
Colonising another planet
This idea has been discussed in depth many times, even before planets were officially discovered and labelled as planets.
By the end of this century, the Earth will face disastrous hazards, as a result of anthropogenic climate change. This includes the already rising sea levels, where land occupying more than 4 million people on Earth will be fully submerged by the 21st Century. Rainfall patterns are becoming more extreme, as well as other weather hazards, due to the warmer air. More areas of the Earth are becoming uninhabitable, killing flora and fauna and reducing the global biodiversity.
Although limiting the impacts of climate change may still be effective, and adapting to it could be a solution, the mitigation of climate change is important. However, this comes with many negative economic, social, political and ethical factors. Also, reversing the greenhouse effect is getting more difficult with each passing year. Starting anew with another planet seems like a reasonable solution. But like many climate change suggestions, it is very complex to carry out.
Even Mars, the physically closest planet with features similar to Earth, will be impossible to colonise with a large human population. We are not yet technologically advanced enough to be able to survive with their extreme atmosphere. The number of resources that we can access in other planets will also be limited, leading to the anthropogenic destruction of another environment. Therefore, this would not a sustainable method.
There are also moral considerations related to planet colonising. It is a harmful western ideology and suggests that humans should be allowed to access resources to their own accord. Another ethical disadvantage to consider would be the fact that not all of the current human population would be able to move to another planet. The most disadvantaged and poorest communities will continue to inhabit the Earth, and with lowered familiarity with technology, they would continue to suffer from the impacts of climate change on Earth.
Top Tips
1) Watch this short video
This is a short video that explains how the satellite data NASA has collected has helped create climate change models. These are used to assess how the planet is being affected by a warmer atmosphere and they can help us mitigate or adapt to global heating.
2) Stay on top of climate change news
You can follow the latest climate change models to remind yourself how important it is to reduce your carbon footprint. Try not to be swayed by fake media and remember to check the sources.
3) Check your products for their sustainability
It’s important to check everyday objects or food that you purchase for their carbon footprint. For example, buying foods locally would be advantageous over buying them from abroad (as the food miles would be reduced, and therefore, their carbon footprint).
Thank you for reading and stay in tune for future posts!
References used:
https://foreignpolicy.com/2019/07/20/space-research-can-save-the-planet-again-climate-change-environment/