Appeal to the UN: Combating space debris as a development goal for humanity
Space is considered one of the last untouched environments on Earth, but it is becoming increasingly littered. The UN should prevent this, says a research group.
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A group of researchers has called on the United Nations to declare the fight against space debris an official goal of the global community. To this end, the protection of the Earth's orbit should be declared a so-called “Sustainable Development Goal," they explain in a scientific article. There are 17 of these SDGs (Sustainable Development Goals) and they run until the end of the decade. The group explains that the growing number of satellites and other objects in orbit raises fears that, without a global consensus, another of the Earth's pristine environments will be irrevocably altered.
A new goal for humanity?
The authors do not want to deny that satellites bring immense benefits to humanity, from Earth monitoring and communication infrastructure to enabling a wide range of services. But as soon as the devices stop working, dangerous debris remains in space that endangers the active satellites. Although more and more places are now recognizing the need for action, the group writes, only the SGD declaration can provide the necessary consensus and effective mechanisms to solve the problem. The researchers see SDG 14, which aims to conserve and sustainably use the seas and oceans, as a model.
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Space debris is a growing problem for the space industry. Debris and inactive satellites hurtle around the Earth at immense speeds. Because even the smallest pieces could destroy other satellites and create new space debris, there is always the risk of a chain reaction. In the worst-case scenario, this could wipe out entire orbits in Earth's orbit, destroying the satellites there. Recently, such collisions of space debris with potentially catastrophic consequences have apparently only narrowly escaped several times. The issue has become more urgent as more and more mega-constellations are being planned and built, consisting of thousands of satellites like Starlink.
(mho)
