The human race in 30 years must begin to leave the Earth in order not to die from overpopulation and from climate change. This was the warning made by Professor Stephen Hawking.
In an impassioned speech at the Starmus science festival in Trondheim, Norway, the astrophysicist said it was vital to establish colonies on Mars and the Moon, and to assemble Noah's Ark from plants, animals, fungi and insects to begin creating a new world.
Professor Hawking said that the Earth as we know it will die from an asteroid impact, high temperatures or overpopulation, and that it is only a matter of time.
According to him, there should be no “inaction in space”, since the threats are too serious and numerous.
“I am convinced that humanity must leave the Earth. The earth is getting too cramped for us, and our physical resources are being depleted at an alarming rate.”
“We have given our planet a terrible gift in the form of climate change, rising temperatures, shrinking polar ice cover, deforestation and the destruction of many species of animals.”
“When similar crises arose in our history, we usually had somewhere to move, there was something to colonize. Columbus did it in 1492 when he discovered the New World. But now there is no New World. There is no Utopia country just around the corner. We no longer have enough space, and we can only move to other worlds."
Professor Hawking told his audience that over time, the Earth would collide with an asteroid and it would be a disaster.
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“This is not science fiction, it is guaranteed by the laws of physics and probability,” he said. "To stay is to die."
“Resettlement in space will completely change the future of humanity. It will determine whether we have any future at all."
“Wherever we go, we will have to create civilization, we will have to use practical means to create a completely new ecosystem that will survive in an environment unfamiliar to us. We will have to think about how to transport several thousand people, animals, plants, fungi and insects to other planets."
According to the professor, the Moon and Mars are the best places to create the first colonies. He believes that a lunar base can be built in 30 years, and an outpost on Mars in 50. But Hawking also proposes to get out of the solar system and go to the nearest star system Alpha Centauri, where, according to scientists, there is a habitable planet Proxima B …
Hawking said fusion-powered spaceships, propelled by particle and antiparticle reactors like Star Trek, or some "completely new form of energy," would allow humans to travel light years.
According to the professor, Russian billionaire Yuri Milner has already taken a small first step forward with his Breakthrough Start Shot project.
It envisions sending an entire fleet of "nano-devices" with light sails on a four-year voyage to Alpha Centauri, which is the closest star system to Earth.
Miniature probes with cameras will be accelerated by tens of gigawatts of ultra-powerful laser radiation directed at the sail and will arrive at their destination in about 20 years.
"If we succeed, we will send a probe to Alpha Centauri, and some of you will still be alive to witness this event," the scientist said.
“It is clear that we are entering a new space age. We are on the verge of a new era. Human colonization of other planets is no longer science fiction, it can become a scientific fact."
“The human race has existed as a separate species for about two million years. Civilization emerged about 10 thousand years ago, and the pace of development is steadily increasing. If humanity wants to live another million years, it needs to boldly go where no one has been before. I hope for the best. Hopefully. There are simply no other options."
On the eve of Asteroid Day, which is celebrated next Friday, Alan Fitzsimmons, a professor at the Astrophysical Research Center at Queens University, also warned that a major city could easily perish if an asteroid hits Earth.
Asteroid Day is celebrated in memory of the fall of the Tunguska meteorite in Siberia in 1908, which devastated two thousand square kilometers of taiga.
Professor Fitzsimmons said: “It is important to know that scientists and engineers have made great strides in detecting near-Earth asteroids and in understanding the threat they pose. To date, more than 1,800 potentially dangerous objects have been discovered, but much more remains to be found."
“Astronomers find near-Earth asteroids every day, and most of them are harmless. But it is possible that the next Tunguska meteorite will take us by surprise, and although we have learned well how to find large asteroids, it will not help us in any way if we do not know what to do with them."
Sarah Knapton
