The Value of Biosphere Earth, pt. 4: Earth vs. the Universe
Ever wondered what it’d be like to live on another planet? Here’s how Earth compares.
Note: This science brief contains 60 citations. I’ve sorted those into 12 groups, notated below. Visit this post on Google to see all of the science discussed below.
There’s Only One Life-Support System.
Of the more than 4,500 planets surveyed by NASA to date, none show definitive signs of being capable of hosting plants, animals or a life-support system for humans.[i] In fact as of this writing no other planet has been found to host even a single microbe.[ii] A more scientifically accurate name for Mars, the Red Planet is Mars, the Dead Planet.[iii] Mars is in no way capable of hosting human life today or in the imaginable future. The closest planet that might host microbial life is more than 73,000 years away by modern space travel technology, but also already known to be deadly to humans.[iv][v] The next nearest potentially habitable planet is more than 200,000 years away.[vi] Of the top five “potentially habitable” planets known to Science, none have been confirmed to have rocky surfaces, water, or atmospheres.[vii] Biosphere Earth — the composition of life and living ecosystems on Earth, is the only planetary life-support system for humans.
We are Earth-bound.
Elon Musk once said, “Not being a space-faring civilization would be sad.”[x] But not investing in rescuing the only human life-support system is sadder. In this time of biospheric collapse due to overconsumption and destruction of Earth’s living resources, human civilization should be asking one primary question: How biospherically-rich and secure can we make our way of life?[xi] Instead of focusing on built-technologies and communion with the stars as our highest forms of advancement today, humans should be investing in one to 1,000-year plans to rescue, restore, and live in balance with Earth’s life-support system. There is no future for humans without a robust planetary biosphere and numerous studies show biospheric rescue, restoration, and economics can provide more than enough carbon absorption to stop and reverse climate change.[xii]
What Can You Do?
Consider this. We are earth-bound. We need to embrace, celebrate, and advance rapidly with this consciousness. Biosphere Earth, the composition of life and living ecosystems on this planet, is our most powerful and essential climate stabilization resource. More on BE as a climate stabilization resource in the next post.
Thanks for reading.
Other content in this series:
- About this series — podcast
- Part 1, The Life Timeline — science brief, Medium essay, podcast
- Part 2, A Self-Generating “Stack” — science brief, Medium essay, podcast
- Part 3, Ecosystem Services — science brief, Medium essay, podcast
- Part 4, Earth vs. the Universe — science brief
