Billionaires Claiming Climate Leadership Should Not Promote Space Tourism

Re:Billionaires Claiming Climate Leadership Should Not Promo... by rohanphadte on Monday July 19, 2021 @02:41PM (#27885925)

> Space tourism raises important moral questions. Should self-professed climate leaders walk the climate talk?

> A paper published in Geophysical Research Letters suggests that black carbon or soot deposited in the stratosphere from the launch of 1,000 private rockets could increase polar surface temperatures by 1°C.

> By some accounts, the image of Earth from Apollo 8 in 1968 led to the first Earth Day. But this is 2021, when the effects of the climate crisis are grimly visible.

There is quite a moral dilemma for those elite pushing the boundaries of space + climate change.

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Re:Billionaires Claiming Climate Leadership Should Not Promo... by aeternum on Monday July 19, 2021 @03:25PM (#27886358)

Making these flights carbon neutral would only require a small amount of sequestration. It would likely be inconsequential if added to the cost of a ticket. Virgin Galactic's per-seat carbon footprint is equivalent to a long-haul economy airline seat.

No moral dilemma but it makes good click-bait.

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