In Dreams Begin Responsibility: Environmental Assessment and Outer SpaceActions

Assessing the environmental consequences of our actions has become an increasingly common tool in project planning. But the geographic scope of human actions is expanding faster than environmental regulation. Although outer space exploration is still considered “science fiction” by many, spacefaring nations as well as private entrepreneurs have proposed ventures to mine asteroids and the Moon, to construct permanent human habitations on Mars, and to undertake other projects within the next 20-30 years or sooner. We are failing to identify and assess the potential environmental impacts of extraterrestrial actions. Without such analyses, space projects may result in the unintended consequences of environmental degradation experienced here on Earth. Should alien life be present, assessment is categorically essential. Although existing international instruments such as the Outer Space Treaty generally express sentiments for minimizing missions’ extraterrestrial environmental impacts, they have proven to be limited in scope, vague, and generally unenforceable. Impact analysis, when done at all, remains limited to how missions affect the Earth environment. Clear, consistent and effective international protocols guiding a process for assessing such impacts are warranted. While instruments such as the US’s National Environmental Policy Act provide legally tested regulatory models for assessment, statutory frameworks may not work in the international environment of outer space. A proposal for industry-driven standards and an environmental code of conduct based, in part, on best management practices is offered for consideration.