(ORDO NEWS) — Speaking at a joint meeting of representatives from the Space Research Council and the Council of Astronomy and Physics, SpaceX CEO Elon Musk spoke about his plans to create a permanent base for humans on Mars.
And this is more important than ever, given the fact that we are threatened by climate change, potentially dangerous comets and asteroids, declining birth rates and even a possible nuclear war.
According to Musk, in order to reduce “civilizational risks” we must make humanity a multi-planetary species – the most effective way to protect ourselves from total collapse.
If you wait long enough, the Earth will become uninhabitable, Musk mused. “So in the end we will all obviously die.”
Musk acknowledged that the first few flights to Mars could be very challenging, hinting that the first Atlantic crossings “were horrible.”
At last year’s Humans to Mars Summit on August 31, 2020, Musk said building a base on the Red Planet would be “very difficult and dangerous”.
Musk recalled that there is always a risk that a comet (or asteroid) will fall on some continent, leading to a mass extinction. We know from the fossil record that such events took place and the consequences were dire.
Musk also drew attention to greenhouse gas emissions, melting tundra and expressed his concern about declining global fertility, an “underestimated risk” when many population indicators are constantly falling.
“Aside from comets, climate change and declining birth rates that could potentially lead our species to extinction, there is always the good old nuclear apocalypse ,” Musk said. “It’s not out of the question.”
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