This fantasy is almost more intellectually insulting than straight up climate denial.
What kind of dream world do you inhabit where you think it’s easier to travel to other stars or terraform planets than simply not “shit where you eat” on this planet? Slow down our economic growth? Stop dumping trash? Nah, that’s too hard. Let’s build fucking rockets to other solar systems instead and invent entirely new life support systems to survive in places without any food, water, or air at all. Sure, that’s way easier than planting a garden.
Even if this were possible, the technology almost certainly wouldn’t be ready by the time civilization fully collapsed at the end of the century.
"What kind of dream world do you inhabit where you think it’s easier to travel to other stars or terraform planets than simply not “shit where you eat” on this planet? Slow down our economic growth? Stop dumping trash? Nah, that’s too hard."
A lot of people do see the concept of some entity strictly controlling the entire world as unattainable, regardless of whether it would be desirable or not.
Seriously.
So, yeah, travelling elsewhere is easier, because it requires less coordination. Space travel doesn't seem as rooted in the insolubility of political problems.
Not trying to convince you this is right, just that the opposite of your opinion is "obvious" to other people who think differently than you.
How is it an intractable political problem when a large majority of the US, and a larger majority of the world, is in favor of strong governmental action to stave off climate disaster?
A political revolution against the corruption of our democracy by extractive industries is
much, much easier than going to other planets. It might get a bit bloody or require you to march in the street, but it will sure as hell be easier and cost fewer lives in the long run.
It is cowardly to assume that our political situation can’t change; it’s merely a matter of what kind of action you’re willing to take.
There are many ways that a majority can fail to get what they want even in a democracy. For instance, we have recently seen notable examples such as Donald Trump being elected President of the US, and the so far ineffectual efforts in the UK to exit the EU.
My whole point is that space travel doesn't presuppose a universal decision maker, who would decide things like "it's better not to bring our problems to other planets".
To not have space travel, everyone must agree not to do it.
To save the environment, everyone must agree to do it.
Anything that everyone must agree to do probably won't happen and seems "difficult" to me.
> What kind of dream world do you inhabit where you think it’s easier to travel to other stars or terraform planets than simply not “shit where you eat” on this planet? Slow down our economic growth?
I don't think any expansion steps looked less hard at the time.
