I strongly disagree with this claim that is presented uncritically and without evidence: > Additionally, the more we set our sights on escaping to other worlds

I strongly disagree with this claim that is presented uncritically and without evidence: > Additionally, the more we set our sights on escaping to other worlds, the less likely we are to look after our existing one. The opposite seems to be true. There’s some evidence the Apollo program fostered the environmental movement. As Carl Sagan said, “Whatever the reason we first mustered the Apollo program, however mired it was in Cold War nationalism and the instruments of death, the inescapable recognition of the unity and fragility of the Earth is its clear and luminous dividend, the unexpected final gift of Apollo.” The “Overview Effect” has apparently caused a strong movement among astronauts to protect the Earth, from both war and environmental degradation. The two most prominent benefactors of human expansion into space, Elon Musk and Jeff Bezos, flawed as both men are, seem to also be sincerely concerned with the long-term ability of humanity to live on Earth sustainably. Musk does this through Tesla (accelerating clean energy transition), and Bezos through climate donations and, of course, funding the Long Now foundation that thoughtpieces like this are the product of. And NASA is deeply involved in environmental protection, whether monitoring the ozone layer or climate change. Few other agencies are as focused on protecting the habitability of the Earth as the only agency that is involved in sending people to other worlds, and you’d find fewer more strident proponents of protecting the environment than astronauts who have seen the entire Earth as it is. So this is just a false dilemma. A straw argument & it seems likely the exact opposite is likely to be true: lack of focus on the reality of Earth in space and the long term of humanity possibly taking root among the stars seems to make ignoring of environmental degradation easier, not harder. When you do not see Earth as “finite, alone,” it’s easy to lose the perspective that we must protect the Earth... the only home we’ve had and by far the best planet.