| Popis: |
As nations and commercial entities expand further and more permanently into outer space, governance of that realm as a global commons becomes both more important and more difficult. This chapter addresses the question of what the future of space exploration and exploitation will look like as technology continues to outpace regulation and governance and more nations and actors gain access to its resources. How will nations function under old treaties and norms when faced with technical challenges or the acquisition of resources brought on by space debris or asteroid mining? The past governance of other areas of the global commons, especially the oceans, provide insight into the former question, while the history of the developed world’s territorial expansion sheds light on the latter. This chapter asks if the future will resemble the utopian ideals of Star Trek or will it devolve into a Star Wars-esque past of colonialism and profiteering and begins the work of finding an answer. |
