which, again, does not include electric power from space. With Satellite Power as a development option there would be plenty of power for smelting, eliminating both the cutting of forests and the associated air pollution from making charcoal and burning it to smelt iron. In Starr and Searl’s study of Global Energy and Electricity Futures they show (p. 77) that without an alternative to fossil fuels the Less Developed Countries will increase their levels of emissions by 370% over the 1986 baseline in the foreseeable future. But how can we justify introducing energy from space to a capital poor region of the world? An Environmental Rationale for SPS Developmental Ethics As we prepare to enter the 21s' century we face the challenge of creating a paradigm for sustainable development which is ecologically sound and economically just, and can be accepted by a multitude of cultures and over the generations. The moral challenge of creating an infrastructure for sustainable and equitable development presents the proponents of energy from space with unique opportunity, which was overlooked in previous studies on SPS. Solutions, as well as the decisions about which solution to choose, have four components: technical, economic, political and strategic. On a national level, the latter two components include the philosophy or gestalt of the nation or ruling political party. For any project, large or small, to succeed, it must address these four components as well as have its champions. Champions are politicians who see that their support will make them heros to the people. The political component of a large project has a strong social or moral aspect to it. Leaders of movements for social transformation have always understood that in order to change a situation one must appeal to moral as well as material considerations. With space, energy and the environment coupled to sustainable development, SPS is a means for social transformation. I propose SPS as a solution to a global problem. This provides a moral justification for it, and if we look beyond our Earth to the Moon for the resources to build the power systems we also have a frontier to excite mankind’s collective imagination. Can we in the developed countries in good conscience deny the developing countries their place in the sun on the basis that their need for energy for development will adversely impact the environment? Creating a solution to the global problem of energy for development and subsistence that is environmentally benign as well as equitable between various societies and generations will require careful thought, clever balancing of the moral options, and thoughtful innovation. The justification for the development and demonstration of energy from space will not come from the short sighted financial projections of MBA’s, but rather from the deeply embedded moral imperative of the human race to sow for the future rather than always reap for today. It will come from the compassion of the people
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