I'm a pretty avid fan of colonizing other bodies in the solar system (Mars, Moon, etc).

That said, I don't know _anyone_ who would advocate for colonizing Mars is a better solution that tweaking what we already have. It's a different solution addressing a different problem.

We should _absolutely_ be improving and addressing the problems that we have on Earth. I 100% agree with that. I don't see how that precludes us from _also_ starting the process of colonizing another planet.

There is definitely a group of people who think humanity cannot survive without becoming a multi planet species - now. I am not against exploration and colonization at all, but I think it should receive the mindshare and financial backing of an experiment, and not a proper solution to the current existential crisis of our species. I wish we could capture people's imaginations with incredible fixes to our own planet's problems the way we manage to do with space exploration. It is obvious why this is difficult, but without it we will partisan bicker ourselves towards extinction.

It sounds like we agree at any rate.

I think from a scientific standpoint the more we learn through trying to terraform Mars, the more use we could get out of it centuries from now when we do embark to the stars and colonize a much better planet, one that might not need much terraforming at all really, maybe seeding some familiar life forms from earth and eco-systems at most.

Eventually, we should become a space-faring civilization if it is actually possible (big IF) there.