Why are we so obsessed with space?
I do not mean the distance between your friends when you eat or the six feet required between you and strangers as you wait in line to buy groceries. I mean space, the extension beyond the clouds in the sky filled with asteroids, planets and billions of stars.
For centuries, we have craned our necks upwards and wondered what could possibly exist outside of Earth. The United States has launched over 150 astronauts and undergone over 200 missions, spending almost 20 billion dollars annually for answers. Most recently, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) successfully landed a fifth rover on Mars, Perseverance, which has already provided the first audio recording of the planet and the first high-resolution photo of the Jezero Crater. And while I agree that it is exciting to see what fills our galaxy, I am curious as to why so much time and money is spent where we never really see the results.
I’m not saying space exploration is bad, but I do believe that before we start exploring other planets, we should at least still dedicate more money to explore ours. The Schmidt Ocean Institute reported that only 5% of the world’s seafloor has been mapped in some detail, leaving 65% of the ocean left to explore. There are also small islands around the South Pacific that we know little to nothing about.
God created humanity in His image and gave us “dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the air and over every living thing that moves upon the earth” (Gen. 1:28, NRSV). But how can we have dominion over the earth if we don’t even know what’s out there?
Please don’t mishear me. The last thing I want is for us to explore but then leave a trail of destroyed ecosystems in our wake, like we have done so many times before. We need to explore Earth but also protect it, especially since God put us in charge of it.
Luckily, a few steps have been made in the right direction, starting with the Biden Administration’s rejoining the Paris Climate Agreement. However, more work needs to be done beyond cutting carbon emissions.
The largely unknown sections of the ocean are unprotected, meaning they don’t fall under any country’s jurisdiction. They are at risk for deep-sea mining and overfishing. This initiates devastating impacts for the habitats and migratory routes for marine life, including leatherback sea turtles, whales, corals and hundreds of other marine species.
Global wildlife trade and deforestation also decimate the earth’s surface by eliminating what Conservation International calls “critical functions that native wildlife and plants provide for healthy ecosystems.”
Our planet is literally dying, yet we don’t even notice because we’re too busy celebrating the sound of space static and pictures of rocks. Space will always be out there, but if we don’t start dedicating more time and money to conservation, our home will not. It’s time to snap out of our “Star Wars” fantasies and get to work saving what really matters.
To donate or learn more about what you can do, please visit conservation.org, iucn.org or janegoodall.org.
