An international team of scientists has called for the creation of an 18th addition to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, which would aim to mitigate against the accumulation of space junk in Earth's orbit.
An international team of scientists has called for the creation of an 18th addition to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, which would aim to mitigate against the accumulation of space junk in Earth's orbit. They believe a new SDG18 could draw direct inspiration from one of the existing goals -- SDG14: Life Below Water -- with lessons learned in marine debris management being used to prevent another planetary crisis before it is too late.
But with growing numbers of satellites and other objects now orbiting our planet, there is growing concern that without some form of global consensus another of Earth's once pristine environments is at risk of being irrevocably changed. However, once they reach the end of their useful life, the experts say abandoned satellites, launch stages, and fragments resulting from explosions or collisions can accumulate as orbital debris. This raises the chance of collisions with active satellites, which would not only impact their ability to function but would also result in further increases in debris.
They also highlight that it would complement the existing SDGs, which include references to space technology for its ability to support improved understanding of global issues but not its potential to represent a future issue itself. Professor Heather Koldewey, ZSL's Head of Ocean and FAIRER Conservation, said:"Just like plastic pollution and climate change, space junk is an issue that transcends borders. Our ongoing efforts to protect the ocean highlight just how important UN-backed agreements are for managing this crisis. It's key we learn from the challenges and solutions in tackling marine debris and act now to protect our planet's orbit.
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