The future of humanity may be at a crucial turning point, say Astronomer Royal Martin Rees.
In a wide-ranging talk at 51¶ŻÂţ Live in London on Sunday, Rees said that inaction may lead to a “catastrophic setback to civilisation”.
Speaking about energy policy, artificial intelligence and space exploration, Rees called for accelerated research into low-carbon energy sources and the need for urgent climate action.
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“Extinction rates are rising. We’re destroying the book of life before we’ve read it,” said Rees. “The biomass in humans, cows and domestic animals is 20 times that in wild mammals.”
Public pressure is an important driver of political decision-making, said Rees. “That’s why we should welcome public demonstrations,” he said.
Rees added that the UK will benefit economically by investing in alternative energy sources, including nuclear fusion. “Prioritising clean energy research as much as defence research or medical research, we can aspire to make a much more than 2 percent difference to the world’s CO2 emissions,” he said.
Speaking about the impact of artificial intelligence on the future of humanity, Rees warned that AI systems will become more intrusive and pervasive.
“Records of our movements, our health, and our financial transactions will be in the cloud, managed by a multinational quasi-monopoly,” said Rees.
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These collections of data are already “shifting the balance of power from governments to globe-spanning conglomerates”, and the responsibility will fall to governments to redistribute wealth to preserve healthy societies, he said.
Autonomous robots will likely transform our lives, Rees added, but whether they will be “idiot savants” or superhuman in ability remains to be seen.
Turning outward to space, Rees said that the need for manned spaceflight is decreasing as advanced robots improve. “During this century, the whole solar system will be explored by swarms of miniaturised probes,” he said.
Spaceflight beyond low-Earth orbit will be pioneered by private companies such as Elon Musk’s SpaceX and Jeff Bezos’s Blue Origin, but will be high-risk trips, said Rees, who objected to the term “space tourism”. “These exploits must be sold as dangerous sports or intrepid exploration.”
“Don’t ever expect mass emigration from Earth,” he said. “I think it’s a dangerous delusion to think that space offers an escape from Earth’s problems.”
“Dealing with climate change here on Earth may be hard, but it’s a doddle compared to terraforming Mars. There’s no planet B for ordinary, risk-averse people.”
