Space Settlement Research Papers - Academia.edu (original) (raw)

The status of Civilization is analyzed from the points of view of demography, science, technology, social, economy, environment, evolution, expansion into outer space.
Particular attention is paid to the current extremely critical situation, that sees several concurrent crises threatening the civilization survival itself.
The global risks are briefly analyzed, vs. the great opportunities offered by the kick-off of the expansion into outer space for civilization as a whole, and for the various stakeholders, such as: Human species, Human civilization, Nature and ecology, Earthly Sentient species, Earthly Vegetable species, Earthly life sustaining environment, Solar system environment.
The status of the expansion into outer space as a social process is analyzed as well, assessing the probabilities of success, considering the social, economical and political climate and the minimal conditions necessary to success, i.e. what should change to make it possible.
The applied methodology is a combined simplified version of risk assessment and opportunity analysis (SWOT = Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, Threats).
Such analysis is meant to be more a methodological indication, addressing the main civilization risks, vulnerabilities and opportunities, according to our humanist philosophical tools and scheme of values.
SRI is suggesting that a more comprehensive project could be developed, after the congress, deepening the global civilization risks and the related mitigation strategy.