A Space Race to Unsustainability
When a credit card transaction fails or GPS directions are suddenly disrupted, the culprit might just be all the garbage humans sent into outer space, the final frontier for environmental destruction.
Episode 24
2/20/2025
Most people might not consider blaming space pollution for disruptions in our daily lives. But the exponential increase in satellites and debris in the Lower Earth’s Orbit is more than just science fiction. From heads of government concerned with national security to gamers losing valuable seconds in an online competition, space pollution is a growing concern. Jorden and Kimberly discuss why space junk, virtually in our own backyard, deserves higher priority on our sustainability radar.
Key Topics Jorden and Kimberly discuss include:
How space junk could wreak havoc on more than just arrival time
Why the Tragedy of the Commons extends to outer space
Who’s responsible for emptying the space garbage can
Why the Kessler syndrome is just as scary as the name implies
How ridiculously rich people’s rocket launches incur yet another cost externality
How space exploration contributes to climate change
Why Global South countries bear the brunt of space activities
Recommended Resources
For anyone wanting to refresh their memory, here’s The Tragedy of the Commons by Garrett Hardin, 1968
And here’s the rebuttal Jorden mentioned, The Comedy of the Commons by Carol Rose, 1987
What to do with all that space junk floating around LEO
Why The Kessler Syndrome isn’t just a sci-fi plot
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