What Are the Ethical Challenges of Extraterrestrial Colonisation?

 by Ben Davis

Credit: Max Rymsha, HP inc.

As we continue to decimate Earth and its resources, it is plausible that there will come a time when humanity escapes to another planet. With continued scientific advancements and the force that is Elon Musk, this time seems to be creeping ever closer. How should humanity go about this next segment of history? Should we even think of expanding spacewards, introducing yet another layer of inequality into society, when we cannot even solve inequalities here on Earth? Here I attempt to contemplate some of the ethical dilemmas caused by human colonisation of space.

First comes the question of should we move to another planet? In a simple sense, the question is more of an inevitability and cant be answered by yes or no. Humanity doesn't necessarily have a choice in the matter. At some point we will have to move. Be it because Earth is on the verge of collapse or humanity is looking to the next stage of development, we will have to look to space. Yet, imagining that we have the option to remain on Earth, what do we choose? It must first be considered, the plausible outcome of extraterrestrial colonisation, that we decimate our next planet like we have our own. Like parasites, sucking every last drop of resource out of the Earth, surely it's not unreasonable to suggest that we do this to Earth 2.0. Whilst Earth could still be considered an Eden of life, with the wheels of climate change in motion, it may not be long until this dystopian era is upon us. In this sense, we cannot possibly think about repeating Earth’s history. On the contrary, in agreement with the current reality that we are the only lifeforms in the known universe, what could be the damage of moving to a barren, lifeless planet?. There’s no possibility that we could repeat Earth’s environmental history (referring to the ongoing loss of biodiversity) so surely there's no issue of us moving to another planet. Furthermore, owing to humanity’s collective ingenuity, we could transform a lifeless planet into a functional space for human development. 

Next comes the issue of inequality and the prospect that extraterrestrial colonisation could introduce yet another layer of inequality into humanity. The wealth gap is becoming more pronounced every year, billions of people still don't have access to basic commodities. Even reading this article shows a huge inequality- internet access. Surely then, given that we haven't been able to solve these humanitarian problems on Earth, should we introduce the possibility of interplanetary inequality? What if the inhabitants of our new extraterrestrial colony are far better off than those back here on Earth. You don’t have to watch many apocalypse movies to know that the poorer in society are always left behind. I think that we should be prioritising the wellbeing of Earth’s own inhabitants before looking to head off into space. On the other hand, there could be benefits to splitting humanity into two or more smaller populations. Smaller populations would have a greater ability to resolve disputes and work towards equality. 

To conclude, whilst it's almost inevitable that one day humanity will leave Earth to set up home elsewhere, there are some important questions that should be asked about how and when we move.