> I can't help but wonder if the mere existence of a sustainable off-world colony would cause humans on Earth to give even less of a damn about maintaining a ha

> I can't help but wonder if the mere existence of a sustainable off-world colony would cause humans on Earth to give even less of a damn about maintaining a habitable planet. [...] does the interplanetary superpower suddenly becoming all the more willing to watch the world burn? If you're interested in fiction along those lines, Kim Stanley Robinson's Mars Trilogy (Red Mars, Blue Mars, Green Mars) seems right up your alley. I'm about half way through the first book, and it's starting to delve into whether or not the distant, Earth-based powers that financed initial settlement have any ability to actually influence or control the resulting Martian population. Environmental concerns are also pretty explicitly considered. Definitely a fun read.