Space 4 All, Space 4 Peace, a Space 18th SDG for the 2030 U.N. Agenda
- Paper ID
81187
- DOI
- author
- company
Space Renaissance International; ILEWG "EuroMoonMars"; National Space Society; The Overview Institute; Leeward Space Foundation; International Space University (ISU)
- country
Italy
- year
2024
- abstract
Many global crises, e.g. pandemics, climate changes, and economic crises besiege civilization. Instead of uniting our efforts to go over, the primitive practice of war – the state’s legal murdering – is expanding to whole planet Earth. Humanity is not driven by the best practices but by the worst ones. In 2015, United Nations delivered an Agenda of 17 Sustainable Development social, environmental, and methodology Goals (SDGs) to be achieved by 2030. That will resolve global issues, eliminate reasons for conflicts, and restart civilization growth. Yet, if confined inside the boundaries of Earth, industrial growth would conflict with the environmental goals. Furthermore, restarting growth within the limits of Earth immediately drives to conflicts – now dramatically heading to a global war – to grab the scarce resources, remaining on our mother planet. Space development is a strong factor of peace and a true alternative to war, nowadays. Collaboration among scientists from different Countries on the ISS, even during hard confrontations on Earth’s surface, represents an example of enhanced human relationships. As Frank White pointed out, the Overview Effect experimented by many astronauts while observing our planet from orbit shows that there are no physical borders among countries. Borders are nothing more than conventions, which may be overcome, in a more advanced and broader vision of the world, in a Solar System Society. The whole weapons industry may be reconverted into civilian astronautic industry, without losing any jobs, but incrementing employment, both on Earth and in space. Only by expanding the domain of life into space can we fulfill the 17 SDGs, and a free peaceful development in the long term. Since 2015, reusable rockets are paving the path toward civilian space development. Such a “history turning point”, ignited a new space age, requiring the 2030 Agenda to be updated. The Space Renaissance International and the National Space Society, partnering with almost 70 space organizations, are working with UN COPUOS State Parties for a resolution on a Space 18th SDG, calling for the expansion of communities into space, to achieve universal and sustainable development for the whole humanity, and all the other living species, on Earth and beyond. This paper describes the rationales supporting the Space 18th SDG, the expected outcomes, with a particular focus on peace, and the practice used by the promoting Coalition, to outreach large public opinion and to get the necessary consensus, appreciation, and mobilization for success.