1. The transfer of high-polluting industries or manufacturing systems to space, thereby protecting the environment of the Earth. Eventually this will be necessary in order to provide higher standards of living to all the people of the world. We have estimated that in terms of resources and environmental capabilities, only 500 million people can be provided with a standard of living enjoyed by the average person in the United States. 2. Despite great controversy concerning their desirability or even necessity, the space cities, suggested and designed by Dr. Gerard O’Neil and others, will be another sequence of space industrialization during the first quarter of the next century. Beyond that, the possibilities of space remain limitless. As far as developing countries are concerned, their principal desire is to build viable economic systems with the help of a type of industrialization, including space technologies. They must leap-frog into the modern age at a minimum cost without disrupting their social fabric and traditional cultures. Some fundamental changes are inevitablewith exposure to the planet’s society and education. No society can remain static if it is to survive, least of all in the space age. Once the boundaries of Earth are broken, man and society can never be the same. In short, space developments can provide benefits in the following priority areas in less industrialized countries : Disaster Warning and Environmental Monitoring As described by the report of the United Nations Regional Seminar on The Use of Satellite Technology for Disaster Applications, satellite information on disaster warnings can be advantageously, applied by developing countries. Satellite remote sensitive imagery is helpful, not only for storm and flood warnings, but also for the assessment of flood damage, and hydrological and climatological changes including desertification as well as air and water pollution. For example, photographs from satellites showed the cyclone formation in the Indian Ocean and Bay of Bengal before it struck the coast of Bangladesh, killing thousands of people, with total damage of over one billion dollars. On the average, less industrialized countries suffer damage of approximately 1.5 billion dollars a year due to such disasters. Today, space science can help prepare for better protection from natural disasters. Agriculture By participating in the meteorological satellite programs at the cost of only $20,000 to construct a ground station, the LDC’s can plan and manage their agriculture more efficiently and beneficially. After all, 90% of the people in China and in Africa, 75% of the people in India and 65% of the people in South America depend on agriculture for their livelihood and survival. The loss of existing agriculture is estimated at 6.5 million hectares due to erosion itself. Five per cent of the national income in India is contributed by agriculture which depends on the
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