Scientists are calling for a legally binding agreement to protect Earth’s orbit from irreparable damage caused by the global space industry’s expansion. A collaboration between experts in satellite technology and ocean plastic pollution with the University of Plymouth highlights the need for a global consensus on how best to manage Earth’s orbit. The number of satellites in orbit is projected to increase from 9,000 today to more than 60,000 by 2030, and estimates suggest that there are already over 100 trillion old satellites circling the globe. While satellite technology offers various benefits, the industry’s expansion may make large sections of Earth’s orbit unusable. Collaborative research has found similarities between tackling environmental issues in the ocean and improving management and policy to protect Earth’s orbit. Solutions must be found to prevent anthropogenic dangers such as marine and space debris.
Urgent Need for a Legally Binding Agreement to Protect Earth’s Orbit from Space Debris
Satellite technology and ocean plastic pollution experts are warning of the harmful impact of the expanding worldwide space industry on Earth’s orbit. They are urging governments worldwide to establish a legally binding agreement to protect Earth’s orbit from irreparable damage.
Lessons from High Seas’ management can be applied to protect Earth’s orbit, according to the University of Plymouth’s collaboration with experts. It highlights the need for a global consensus on how best to manage Earth’s orbit as the number of satellites in orbit is projected to increase from 9,000 to over 60,000 by 2030.
While satellite technology offers a wide range of social and environmental benefits, there are concerns that its expansion may render large portions of Earth’s orbit unusable. The experts emphasize the urgency for a global consensus on how best to manage Earth’s orbit to avoid the same fate as the High Seas, where inadequate governance resulted in overfishing, habitat destruction, deep-sea mining exploration, and plastic pollution.
Researchers from the University of Plymouth, the Arribada Initiative, the University of Texas at Austin, California Institute of Technology, the NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory, and the Zoological Society of London co-authored the paper. They acknowledge that some industries and countries are beginning to pay attention to satellite sustainability. However, they argue that it should be extended to any country that intends to use Earth’s orbit.
Experts are also proposing that negotiations for the Global Plastics Treaty include measures to hold manufacturers and users accountable for satellites and debris from the time they launch onwards. They also suggest that commercial costs should be taken into account when looking at ways to increase accountability.
Immediate action is necessary, as estimates suggest that there are already more than 100 trillion old satellites orbiting the globe. It is essential to protect Earth’s orbit to ensure that society continues to benefit from satellite technology and to avoid irreparable damage caused by the global space industry’s future expansion.
Collaboration Needed to Prevent Catastrophic Space Debris
Scientists from various disciplines are coming together to prevent irreparable damage to Earth’s orbit caused by the space industry. The paper, recently published and co-financed by the National Geographic Society, urges collaboration to prevent a “catastrophe of the commons” in space.
The paper’s authors include an academic who conducted the first-ever investigation into marine microplastics, published in Science almost 20 years ago, and scientists who signed a global plastics treaty with 170 world leaders at the United Nations Environment Assembly in March 2022.
The similarities between tackling environmental issues in the ocean and improving management and policy have been discovered through collaborative research. The paper calls for lessons learned from the High Seas’ management to be applied to protect Earth’s orbit.
Experts believe that the number of satellites in orbit will increase from 9,000 to over 60,000 by 2030, with over 100 trillion old satellites already circling the globe. While satellite technology offers social and environmental benefits, the space industry’s expansion may render large portions of Earth’s orbit unusable.
Collaboration across disciplines is necessary to identify and accelerate solutions to planetary problems, according to ZSL’s Senior Marine Technical Advisor, Heather Koldewey. Traditional ecological knowledge teaches the importance of stewardship to prevent anthropogenic dangers such as marine and space debris.
Minimizing the pollution of the lower Earth orbit is vital to enable continued space exploration, satellite continuity, and the development of life-changing space technology. This mirrors the new UN ocean initiative, according to Dr. Kimberley Miner, a scientist at the NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory.
Satellites are crucial to people, economies, and the environment. However, space use is at risk of harm, according to Melissa Quinn, the Head of Spaceport Cornwall. By comparing methods, proactive measures can be taken to avoid harm to space use for future generations.
Professor Richard Thompson OBE, the Head of the University of Plymouth’s International Marine Litter Research Unit, emphasized the need for solutions to plastic pollution in the marine environment. Had we known solutions earlier, the amount of plastic in our oceans would be half what it is today.
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