CHALLENGE

As Earth proves not to be an unlimited provider of resources for the constantly growing population, more Earthlings have pinned their hopes and dreams on finding other places in the universe that could be adapted to developing life. In fact, we already have a few candidates – Moon, asteroids and potentially even Mars and other objects in our Solar System. In the future they can become hubs for space mining activities and human habitats. It opens up a way for many possible gains such as new technologies and raw materials, advancements in space exploration and creating alternative places for humans to live. What could make the mission of building a sustainable civilization and resources management policy in outer space likely to succeed, would be having sustainable ones here, on Earth. This is, however, more than questionable.

Interference in other celestial bodies’ ecosystems makes us become part of them. Think about the role we play in Earth’s ecology – we extract different resources from our planet but at the same time it conditions our life on it. Isn’t it the same with space, which can offer us many exciting findings but is also an ultimate source of human life? What are we allowed to take from it and what can we offer in return? Who holds ownership of space resources and what are the legal and ethical implications of their use?

This thematic area invites you to craft critical, novel and responsible approaches to space ecology, especially focusing on its economical, ethical, legal and environmental dimensions.