space colonization solves hunger, water war, energy shortage, disease, dehumanization, and asteroid impacts

<Recently, a “Global Foresight Workshop” was convened by the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars, Foresight, and Governance Project (Smitherman, 2002). Organizers solicited goals from key agencies and organizations across the country and internationally through solicitations from United Nations University via the “Millennium Project.” One hundred goals were submitted, which were then combined and condensed to 46 for workshop consideration. The top five goals based on high-ranking for overall global importance were as follows: 1. Provide clean food and water. 2. Provide clean and abundant energy. 3. Eliminate all major diseases. 4. End slavery globally. 5. Provide universal health care. Findings such as these are consistent with a Brookings Institute study that asked a group of academic historians, political scientists, sociologists and economists to forecast the most important achievements for the next 50 years. In this study, space endeavors such as exploration or colonization were not on the major list and were ranked low, among the least important accomplishments, even though the above goals were featured. Although thus not viewed as a beneficial enterprise by many, it is our position that Space Colonization can help lead to solutions to many of the emerging problems of our Earth, such as those listed above, both technical and sociological. The breadth of the enterprise far exceeds our normal single-purpose missions and, therefore, its benefits are greater. Among the technical attributes of Space Colonization are the potential of developing low-cost, nonpolluting energy, enhanced food-production techniques, pollution/waste and water purification, development of disease-amelioration techniques, and the development of techniques to help protect Earth from potential meteoroid impact hazards (Siegfried, 1996).>