Earth is plagued with problems. From wars employing weapons capable of eradicating life, the depletion of the limited resources that power society, the potential extinction from climate extremism, the simultaneous obesity epidemics and famines plaguing the world, and many more, clearly something needs to be done about, well, everything.
So how do we accomplish this? Space. If you are skeptical of or opposed to the idea of exploring and developing Space rather than focusing resources inwards to Earth, allow me to explain. The history of human societies can be tracked through three major economic revolutions: the agricultural revolution, the industrial revolution, and the information revolution. With each transition came an unprecedented amount of technology, leading to dramatic increases in productivity and efficiency. But each one can be linked to colonialism.
In the agricultural revolution, people needed to transition from nomadic hunter-gatherers to farmers. Establishing a self-governing, agricultural society is the simplest definition of colonization. A group of settlers went to a place, lived there, and governed there.
In the industrial revolution, people needed to discover, access, and exploit the resources from a frontier. We needed machines to perform extraordinary amounts of work, built by the natural resources of one colony and powered by those of another. The steam engine rushed in a new era through two simple technologies: factories to mass produce goods and trains/ships to transport goods from one place to another. From the frontier, goods could be sent great distances and used to mass produce new consumer goods and more powerful tools.
Currently, we are in the information revolution. This era is classified by the instantaneous connection people have with one another, no matter the distance, and the connection people have to all of our collective knowledge. We are likely approaching the end of this transition, however, because nearly everyone in developed nations has access to technology, and a significant amount of those in developing nations also have access.
So, where does that leave the future, and why do we need to develop Space? The future is uncertain. No clear frontier exists anymore: we have developed every hospitable part of this planet, exploited its resources, and negated the distance between people. Because no available resources are left and no frontiers are left to explore, we will likely see more wars over increasingly scarce resources and more problems associated with overcrowding and over population.
This is why Space is important. Space is an endless frontier; there will always be new objects to explore and resources to acquire. More importantly, new technologies will be developed with the intent to support colonies in Space. These will have even more important implications on Earth. For example, there are two main methods for long-term generation of power in Space: solar power and radioisotope thermoelectric generators (RTGs) (basically Space nuclear reactors). Either method would be practical on Earth, and both are emission-free.
Now I’ve only talked about technologies to generate power being a result of Space exploration, but other technologies and resources exist too. For example, rare metals that can scarcely be found on Earth can be readily found in asteroid belts. Another example, we must find a way to feed astronauts with limited resources – me must grow food with depleted soil, find a way to replenish soil infinitely, or create a new diet (maggots are being researched as a way to turn any waste into edible protein).
Exploring Space is not a waste of resources. Colonizing Space is a method to ensure that society will progress, and technologies will be developed and resources will be discovered.
Sources and further reading:
https://www.forbes.com/sites/economaney/2013/03/01/the-biggest-story-of-our-lives-economic-revolution/#4f0a03884e6d
https://eandt.theiet.org/content/articles/2011/10/debate-for-and-against-space-exploration-is-space-research-a-waste-of-time/