We don’t have the resources to settle another planet. There is no amount of money that would allow humanity to live permanently or in large numbers on any planet other than earth. Mars cannot be made habitable.
I wouldn't go so far as that ... it has an atmosphere, so we know it's massive enough to possibly terraform. But the costs of such a thing at this time would probably bankrupt half of the world's governments.
Mars’ atmospheric pressure is 0.6% of Earth’s, and 96% CO2. Without a magnetosphere, cosmic & solar radiation ionize atmospheric molecules. Lower gravity allows solar winds to pull gases from upper atmosphere into space. This is happening now. Bring Earth’s entire atmosphere to Mars, it will leave.
Yeah, so the idea of terraforming is both likely (we understand enough to know what makes a viable planet, and various techniques to thicken an atmosphere) but also unlikely, because the scale and cost is insane, and for what?
In an Alien or Dead Space type of future where we strip mine entire dead planets for industrial production, such an idea might reach a point of viability. Who cares how much you'd have to do to stabilize a dying planet if you're strip mining entire OTHER planets?
The difference between impossible and not humanly possible. If a civilization had the technology to deliver many asteroids to mars, they could increase its mass enough to make a difference. Of course its orbit would change, endangering the entire solar system. Try it on an uninhabited system first?
Oh, India, the world's largest democracy, is, last I knew, trying to quietly kill or push away all of their Muslims. China ain't so great about that either.
USA, Russia, last I heard Germany and France are having some issues (but I don't follow international parliamentary politics closely enough to understand the minutiae).
I've also seen reports that numerous democracies are trending rightward now.
And Mars will kill anyone who lives there. It is not a viable option to "escape" the earth. It is a delusional fantasy promoted by Musk and his "multi-planet species" BS to enrich himself. It will never happen, and distracts us from saving the one planet we live on that we're killing.
Yeah, Mars is dead. It's dead because its magnetosphere is dead. That's like finding a car with half the parts missing and thinking "yeah, no sweat, I'll get this bad boy up and running soon."
Yes, gutting programs that provide life-sustaining funding to impoverished nations so that we can give to 2 decadent billionaires a giant erection. Sounds reasonable for this timeline
Yes, and… They have destroyed our planet, made trillions doing it, now they want our tax dollars to pay for their escape to Mars?! No, thank you! We want services for us for our tax dollars, not for the greedy!
Comments
If time / money were no obstacle, probable.
2. A smaller proportion live in extreme poverty than at any point in human existence.
This is the most "livable" point in human existence.
Yes, but ...
Climate change is accelerating, and fascist nationalist takeovers are not gonna help.
At the same time, fleeing this planet will only make that problem much worse.
I've also seen reports that numerous democracies are trending rightward now.