‘It could save us’ Boris Johnson handed COP26 lifeline to avoid Sturgeon humiliation

The history of the UK space sector

We use your sign-up to provide content in ways you’ve consented to and to improve our understanding of you. This may include adverts from us and 3rd parties based on our understanding. You can unsubscribe at any time. More info

The Prime Minister has already proven his commitment to tackling the climate crisis with domestic policies aimed at slashing planet-warming greenhouse gases across every aspect of public life. The Government is phasing out gas boilers, investing heavily into renewables and aims to hit net zero emissions by 2025. But the COP26 conference next month will give Mr Johnson an opportunity to help shape the international response to climate change.

And as part of the push to stop global warming from wreaking havoc on Earth, many experts believe more attention needs to be paid to the space sector.

According to Will Whitehorn, Chair of Seraphim Space Investment Trust and former president of Virgin Galactic, there is no viable alternative to “industrialising” space as a means of cleaning up the planet.

The industry insider fears the human population is expanding too fast for its own good, a direct result of which has been the increase in carbon emissions and the growing demand for power.

He told Express.co.uk: “As the population rises much more than even people were predicting 20 years ago, it’s much more difficult to meet climate targets if you try and do it purely inside the atmosphere.

“Imagine that the world we live in is a petri dish – it’s a sealed unit as the famous Professor James Lovelock and his Gaia theory tried to explain.

“And he was a believer since the Seventies, but then not only do we have to think hard about how we develop renewable energy and we have to do it sooner than we have done it, but we have to get outside of the planetary system in order to industrialise in space.”

The UK Government published last month its historic National Space Strategy, which outlined how the UK will invest in and expand the nation’s £16billion space sector.

UK’s Remainer Science Minister plots ‘mission’ to revive EU relations with ‘strong’ ties

But the document also touched upon the applications of space technology in the climate crisis, which Mr Whitehorn has welcomed.

He believes the UK can capitalise on a thrilling and possibly lucrative chance to move many of the country’s polluting industries into orbit.

UK Space Conference: UK science ‘world leader’ says professor

And COP26 will be the perfect opportunity to highlight and explore these possibilities.

The expert said: “Meeting the targets of COP26 is going to be something that should most definitely be attempted to be achieved in November.

“But it’s not something that we should rely on just within the atmosphere.

“I think a lot of effort should now go into putting some of the dirtiest of our industries in space.”

In the process, Mr Whitehorn thinks, the UK’s space sector can reap the benefits of the global space market, which is expected to nearly double in value by 2030.

This includes shifting data centres that burn through enormous amounts of energy into orbit where they could just as easily be tap into the infinite source of energy that is the Sun.

Similarly, crypto mining has emerged in recent years as a growing source of greenhouse emissions.

Studies published earlier this year found bitcoin mining operations have a carbon footprint equal to some European nations, raising concern about the environmental impact cryptocurrencies will have on the planet.

Mr Whitehorn said: “Treat space as a place outside of that sealed unit of planet Earth where there is a vacuum, there’s an incredibly cold temperature near absolute zero and there’s radiation, as somewhere we can go and do these things and it’s the right place to do them.”

It comes as Mr Johnson has been warned of Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon causing a “humiliation” for the UK at COP26.

Refuse workers and train drivers in Glasgow have announced they will go on strike during the conference, prompting warnings of “world leaders stepping over bin bags” and a “humiliation on the world stage”.

A source inside of the Government was quoted by the Telegraph as saying: “It will be chaos if this continues.”

Mr White hopes space will be a “partial focus” of the summit discussions that can help divert such a situation.

Ultimately, he believes world leaders will need to fix their gazes to the stars if they want to save the planet from climate chaos.

He said: “I think COP will achieve many good things but one of the things it should achieve is a better understanding that space can help save us.”

Source: Read Full Article

Previous post Cleaner finds dead body and missing person chained up inside house of horrors
Next post Elephant ‘tramples poacher to death’ as it tries to buy its herd time to escape