>But devastation seems much more likely than sustainable colonization of space. Those aren't mutually exclusive outcomes... At any rate, I think global warmin

>But devastation seems much more likely than sustainable colonization of space. Those aren't mutually exclusive outcomes... At any rate, I think global warming is overrated as a threat. Market forces will soon greatly reduce CO2 production - it mostly depends on how quickly China and India can be weaned off of coal. The other big issue is having a worldwide massive nuclear buildout so we have reliable, zero-carbon energy to back up unreliable "renewables". Eventually, it might be fusion, which will also produce plenty of radioactive waste. (None of the current designs are aneutronic.) Regardless, permanent human colonization of the Moon is relatively easy, and the technological gains there should make asteroid mining feasible. At that point, there'll be so much money to be made that there'll be an explosion into space.