I wrote about
ecological metaphors in my 2021 book, Sensible Decarbonization. One metaphor
that I covered was the Spaceship Earth metaphor, where the Earth, or biosphere,
is considered to be a closed system with limited, finite resources. While that
is true in some sense, it is also true that the limits of resource availability
change based on costs and technology. New and cheaper ways of finding and
developing resources make them more available than before. While total
resources are indeed finite, technically and economically recoverable resources
change via technology and cost-reductions, respectively. I wrote in my book:
Another metaphor is that
of the Spaceship Earth, which suggests the biosphere is a self-contained
system. A systems view is very good as it allows us to look at relationships
between components of the system. Earth systems science is often how we evaluate
climate science. Visionary R. Buckminster Fuller popularized the idea of
spaceship earth in his 1969 book, Operating Manual for Spaceship
Earth. Fuller was contemplating how to solve human problems in his
works, in which he developed his conceptions. He tried to balance achieving the
benefits of innovation with achieving the benefits of sustainability. Of
course, humans are a part of the Earth system. We are not separate from nature,
which is where some ideas put us. The Earth system involves many chemical
cycles: carbon, nitrogen, etc. Oliver Morton, in his 2015 book on
geoengineering, The Planet Remade: How Geoengineering Could Change the World, sees
the spaceship Earth metaphor as an unnecessary separation of humans and human
well-being from the Earth system. A ship has well-defined limits (the notion of
“carrying capacity” came from ocean ships) and a purpose. The limits of the
Earth system are much less clear, and any notion of purpose, especially some
preordained one, is pure fantasy. Morton writes:
“The question is not how to ‘save the planet’ as it was,
but how the planet can be remade in a way that works while respecting the
rights of people living on it. It is a task that calls for imagination and
compromise much more than for naval discipline. It is a task of homemaking, not
ship handling.”
I read Fuller’s book in the
90s, and it was fun and a bit fascinating. He was an interesting guy. Fracking
pioneer George Mitchell was a huge fan of Fuller and tried to design his town
project with Fuller’s ideas of sustainability and circularity. Fuller did write
a little about metaphors, including the following mind-bending quote:
“We are prisoners of our own metaphors, metaphorically
speaking.”
Marian Tupy of
HumanProgress.org wrote an essay in 2023 criticizing the spaceship earth
metaphor based on David Deutsch’s book ‘The Beginning of Infinity: Explanations
That Transform the World,’ which offered a detailed critique of the metaphor.
Deutsch’s book challenges the
closed-system assumption of the metaphor, citing human creativity and ingenuity
as a way to exceed resource limitations. Notions of mining the moon or
asteroids for materials would expand the system beyond the Earth itself.
Deutsch cited water scarcity
as being overcome by desalination technology, which can remove that scarcity
where applicable by tapping resources that were previously seen as untappable.
He cites knowledge and
creativity as the means to overcome limitations and as the key drivers of human
progress. Deutsch uses the example of the Green Revolution in agriculture as
one way humans overcame limitations of food production to vastly improve the
availability of food globally. One could also cite the development of synthetic
fertilizers via the Fischer-Tropsch process. Humans excel at solving problems
and making processes more efficient and economical. Another example he gives of
the power of knowledge and creativity to overcome limitations is medical
advancements, which enable people to live healthier and longer lives.
Deutsch also argued that
sustainability by itself is not adequate, and as noted, Fuller sought to
balance it with innovation, and he does as well.
“Deutsch argues that a focus solely on sustainability is
limiting. He contends that progress and growth are driven by the pursuit of new
ideas, the development of knowledge, and the continuous improvement of
explanations.”
Deutsch also advocates for a
pro-growth mindset as an important motivation for innovation.
“Deutsch suggests that a pro-growth mindset encourages
the exploration and development of new technologies, enabling continuous
improvements and expanding the possibilities for human progress.”
Deutsch also argues that the
spaceship earth metaphor is more easily associated with a pessimistic outlook,
hence its adoption by catastrophists. There are even darker metaphors related
to spaceship earth, such as ecologist Garrett Hardin’s idea of lifeboat ethics,
a metaphor that says there is no room on the boat to help more than the boat
will hold. This idea was used to argue against helping the poorest people in
the world, the ones most in need of help. Deutsch suggests that an optimistic
outlook can be fostered by expectations of harnessing the power of knowledge
and creativity. He presents space exploration as an example of an optimistic
pursuit. Being pessimistic would entail less likelihood of venturing into space
at all.
“Deutsch argues that optimism fuels the pursuit of
ambitious goals and drives innovation, leading to significant advancements in
science and technology.”
He favors innovation and
technology rather than conservation and limits as the best means to solve
environmental and resource scarcity problems. He cites strides in clean energy
development as an example where innovation is having positive environmental
impacts.
Deutsche highlights human
exceptionalism, how our ability to control our environments, in detail, is
unparalleled.
Tupy offers an apt summary of
Deutsch’s ideas:
“In summary, David Deutsch’s criticism of the concept of
Spaceship Earth in The Beginning of Infinity challenges the prevailing view
that Earth is a closed system with limited resources. Through a range of
examples, including asteroid mining, water desalination, the green revolution,
medical advancements, clean energy technologies, space exploration, and the
eradication of smallpox, Deutsch emphasizes the potential for resource
expansion, the transformative power of knowledge and creativity, the importance
of a pro-growth mindset, the benefits of optimism, and the capacity for humans
to address environmental challenges through sustainable solutions. By employing
these examples, Deutsch invites readers to reconsider the limiting assumptions
of the Spaceship Earth concept and embrace a more expansive and optimistic
perspective on human potential and progress.”
References:
Reconsidering
Spaceship Earth: The power of human knowledge and technology outweighs the
supposed limitations of Earth's resources. Marian L. Tupy. July 19, 2023. Reconsidering
Spaceship Earth - Human Progress
Sensible
Decarbonization. Regulation, Risk, and Relative Benefits in Different
Approaches to Energy Use, Climate Policy, and Environmental Impact. Kent C.
Stewart. Amazon Publishing. 2021.
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