Sir Richard Branson and Jeff Bezos have attracted lots of media attention with their forays into space. But just think what the $600 million invested by Branson and the undisclosed amount Bezos had invested would have done to help those in need?
Helped Spur Their New Companies
As it is, the forays simply help spur their own future space travel companies. And the media are there cheering them along!
Space Travel for All?
Sure, someday, but not now. It’s just bothersome that Bezos, who pays no taxes, gets so much attention, as does Branson, who did little more than, as one commentator said, fly out on a gold-plated bungee cord.
Fulfilling Boyhood Dreams
Both men are fulfilling boyhood dreams for a few minutes of weightlessness and a boost to space tourism.
Elon Musk plans to launch an all-civilian crew into orbit later this year. So the billionaire space race looks set to kick space tourism into gear in earnest in the near future. But the implications of these developments aren’t quite as rosy as Branson’s overly optimistic message implies — and dreaming big billionaire-style might come at a hefty toll for the rest of us, says CNN.
Environmental Costs
First, there’s the environmental toll. Virgin Galactic claims that the carbon footprint for passengers of its suborbital space flight is comparable to that of a business class ticket on a transatlantic flight.
But space flights carry far fewer passengers. Per passenger, per kilometer, Branson’s and Bezos’ forays still account for an enormous price to pay for the sake of a few minutes in zero gravity and views of the earth from above.
An Endeavor With No Immediate Return to Society
Whether the environmental impact of such trips is offset or not (and maybe they will be), this feels like a weird moment for the richest people in the world to direct their outrageous resources toward an endeavor with no immediate benefits to the overwhelming majority of society.
Heat, Wildfires, Flooding
This summer, the western part of the United States and Canada has experienced incredible record-breaking heat which has resulted in more than 500 deaths.
Wildfires are now raging in 13 states where 80 large fires have burned 1,174,486 acres. More than 19,600 wildland firefighters and support personnel are involved a fire suppression.
Human-Caused Climate Change
According to scientists, the recent heat wave in the Pacific Northwest would have been impossible without the effect of human-caused climate change, CNN said. Mitigating further climate damage is the most urgent challenge currently facing the planet — one which should interest the world’s billionaires far more than that of stepping just over the well-trod threshold of space.
Can’t They See This?
I wish the boys, their toys and the media could see all of this. Very disappointing.
