Other planets such as Mars should be significantly explored for future life by spending more money on investigation, since in the coming years our planet might become uninhabitable. While other planets can save us from disasters, in my opinion, it would be quicker and more cost-effective to restore the Earth’s ecology.
On the one hand, creating a multi-planetary civilization, particularly on Mars, is seen as a method to protect humanity from hazardous disasters, since asteroids and supervolcanoes illustrate the dangerous threat. For instance, the impact of large asteroids or the risk of the eruption of supervolcanoes could lead to the destruction of global agriculture. Thus, this approach provides a copy of Earth’s civilization and preservation of the species, if our planet becomes uninhabitable.
I, however, believe that a more sustainable strategy to this issue would be to restore the Earth’s ecology, if our planet suffers a catastrophe. This is because Mars is not suitable for life and transforming it into a habitable world will take many centuries, before the appearance of an initial source of water and first plants. As a result, Mars would be an arid planet such as a desert, making it challenging for the extraction of water and oxygen. That’s why it is faster and less expensive to redevelop the ecology of Earth.
In conclusion, while the search for alternative planetary habitats enjoys considerable support, I firmly believe that relying on extraterrestrial colonization is a fundamentally unsustainable long-term strategy.