Brutkey

Prof. Sam Lawler
@sundogplanets@mastodon.social

'Theoretically, rogue billionaires could afford to at least start changing the climate on their own. That’s the premise of the science fiction novel “Termination Shock,” which inspired Iseman to found Make Sunsets in 2022.'

WHAT THE ACTUAL FUCK TECHBROS

https://wapo.st/3MeKCkf

Petra van Cronenburg
@NatureMC@mastodon.online

@sundogplanets@mastodon.social Who can/will stop them? We have rules for installing a plant in most of our countries but do we have enough international rules for space? And if not which organisation could do that?

Prof. Sam Lawler
@sundogplanets@mastodon.social

@NatureMC@mastodon.online It's too bad the UN doesn't seem to actually be effective at much anymore because it seems like they have to be the ones to regulate.

Petra van Cronenburg
@NatureMC@mastodon.online

@sundogplanets@mastodon.social Thanks to your answer, I found indeed the Office for Outer Space Affairs of the UN (UNOOSA): https://www.unoosa.org/oosa/en/ourwork/spacelaw/treaties.html

Reading their article about space law: https://www.un.org/en/peace-and-security/international-space-law-explained seems to be not so much a problem that they wouldn't work but a problem of the political disaster at the moment, especially with the USA withdrawing from so many responsibilities.

@jwcph@helvede.net

Prof. Sam Lawler
@sundogplanets@mastodon.social

@NatureMC@mastodon.online @jwcph@helvede.net I went to a UNOOSA workshop a year ago, and it was fascinating because all the satellite operators (notably SpaceX wasn't there) were saying "we need regulation in orbit" and the UNOOSA reps kept saying "we just provide guidelines, we can't enforce anything."

Wild stuff.