5 Reasons Going To Mars is a TERRIBLE Idea | Answers With Joe

Perhaps, but a point I might be failing to get across is that, in the current era, we cannot point to anyone who is a refugee due to over-crowding from overpopulation, or due to climate change. Current refugees are such due to war in their homeland. And thus we cannot justify space settlement on this point. Are you thinking about some future era in which this is happening? If so, one is of course free to project any kind of changes they can imagine into the future, but it would be nice to find a reason for space settlement right now.

Are you aware that over-population was more of a 1970's concern than a current one? As standards of living have increased, population increase has declined. Some of the more-affluent countries (excepting immigration) are in a serious population decline. Turns out overpopulation was a symptom, not a disease. The disease was poverty. Global population is projected to peak at about 11 billion around 2100, and then go into a slight decline.

I still believe in space settlement, but do not believe it's a necessary remedy to overpopulation. I still favor SPS, but not because we're running out of oil (we're pumping as much oil right now as we were in 1970, which no 1970 expert would ever have predicted). I still favor asteroid mining, but not because we're running out of rare elements (Japan just announced off-shore rare earth deposits which should be productive for a century). I still believe in all of these things, but for different reasons.

It's true that High Frontier was conceived largely as a response to Limits to Growth. But we cannot predicate anything on LtG because history since has confounded all of its predictions. If we want to persuade others, we need to make arguments which can't be easily dismantled by the facts.

Regards,
Mike Combs

From: spacesettlers@yahoogroups.com [mailto:spacesettlers@yahoogroups.com]
Sent: Tuesday, April 17, 2018 9:16 AM
To: spacesettlers@yahoogroups.com
Subject: Re: [EXTERNAL] [spacesettlers] Re: "5 Reasons Going To Mars is a TER

I rather think you are misunderstanding my last point. What I'm saying is that over population and climate change and millions of refugees - which are adding to the over population problems - will help persuade politicians of space nations to approve of such things as high frontier habitats and the politicians will deem that their approval is needed whether it should be or not. You are right of course that what is really needed to persuade the investors will be a good chance of good profit. Asteroid resources and powersats may help but someone will have to profit from one or other before either can really take off.

Many Thanks and Regards,
Mike Combs
Launch Marketing
(903)-487-3209
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