“To confine our attention to terrestrial matters would be to limit the human spirit” – Stephen Hawkings.
Space has long been regarded as the birthplace of dreams and innovations, a reason for mankind to try and break free from its terrestrial chains. Recently, it has come back into the spotlight due to a new prospect: the development of asteroid mining. While at first, this idea may seem like another instance of capitalistic greed tainting the pursuit of knowledge, asteroid mining has the potential to help our environment and mitigate public health risks.
One of the biggest advantages of pursuing asteroid mining (ASM) is its ability to preserve Earth’s natural resources. Currently, the primary method used to gain raw materials is mining. Among the many forms of mining is ASM (artisanal small-scale mining operations), an informal method of extracting minerals with little to no adequate policies, frameworks, and training for those executing it. Thus, due to the lack of regulations in this industry sector, the damages that ASM causes are impossible to control, especially the environmental devastation, such as deforestation and chemical pollution. Asteroid mining will combat this by shifting the mining industry’s focus from Earth’s mineral deposits to the resources available in outer space. Due to these ASM communities’ inability to access the means needed to mine in space, once asteroid mining becomes the mainstream method, there would be no need for ASM, hence mitigating pollution.
Additionally, asteroid mining will be able to become a reliable source of clean energy. To meet the demands of clean energy, companies need to manufacture new tools to collect said energy such as solar panels. However, this construction required more resources than its fossil-fueled counterparts, which drove mine production to increase and, with it, caused damage to the environment. This relationship dampened the positive effects of transitioning to clean energy. Asteroid mining, which provides us with the necessary materials, does not have the same consequences on the environment, allowing for clean energy to become a viable method of mitigating climate change.
Another advantage of asteroid mining is that it will reduce the amount of dangers workers are exposed to. ASM is considered one of the most dangerous occupations in the world. Due to the extreme working conditions, and the close proximity of their living quarters to pollution, miners are more vulnerable to disease, injury, and death. While mining in space is also not without its risks, due to it being sponsored by credible institutions, asteroid mining is a safer alternative to ASM.
Another aspect of mining, that is universal in all types of mining, that hurts the well-being of people is the water contamination that it causes. As mining sites require the exposure of underground deposits, the area is deforested before the work begins. However, without any vegetation, the soil is destabilized, making it more prone to erosion. This loose land then falls into nearby rivers and water sources which contaminates the water. This causes a critical loss in clean water sources and degrades the water quality as the concentrations of metal and minerals increase in the drinking water. The most serious type of water contamination is acid mine drainage, in which water reacts with the sulfur in rocks and becomes highly acidic and toxic. It poses a serious threat to anyone who comes into contact with it. Asteroid mining combats this, once again, by shifting the stage to outer-space. Since space mining is able to be accomplished in asteroids, which harbor no other component than minerals, it is able to extract all the materials needed without causing any additional harm to any living being.
Asteroid mining, which seemed to be science fiction just a mere few years ago, has become a plausible alternative to traditional mining. While it is, of course, not without its downsides, asteroid mining is showing great promise as a solution to environmental and public health crises, some of the most pressing issues that mankind is facing right now, and is an industry worth pursuing.
