AQUATER PAPER 3.4 RULES OF OPERATION OF AN EXPANDING CIVILIZATION

The Problem

In the Aquater Papers 1.1 to 2.6 various problems in sustainability and their solutions for our current static civilization were explored. Our current civilization is static in that it is limited to earth and earth resources. It was found that all goods and services required by our civilization save four appear to be amenable to a sustainable solution by an earth bound static civilization. In Aquater Papers 3.0 to 3.3 the ability to obtain sustainability and equilibrium for these last four goods and services was investigated for an expanding civilization with limits. An expanding civilization with limits has access to the resources available on orbit and on other planetary bodies within our solar system. Here, a conclusion will be reached as to which of these last four goods and services can be obtained by an expanding civilization limited to our solar system.

 

Sustainability and Equilibrium

There are certain goods and services that our civilization needs to survive.

First, it must have energy and certain materials that will be referred to as goods. Specifically, these are:

  • Energy for food production, heating, cooling, and transportation.
  • Water
  • Soluble (fixed) nitrogen for fertilizer for food production
  • Phosphorus and potassium for fertilizer for food production
  • Certain metals for construction and electronic devices.

Second, our civilization must provide certain services, namely:

  • Jobs as a means of distributing the goods and services produced
  • Medical services
  • Arts and entertainment

Third, our civilization must be able to recycle, sequester or eliminate certain dangerous substances from our environment:

  • Carbon dioxide and methane
  • Certain radioactive substances from fission reactors

Finally, it was argued in AP3.1 that our civilization probably needs one more item to ensure that it thrives, namely:

  • A purpose for existence

In this paper, equilibrium for our civilization will be defined as our ability to generate the above-mentioned goods and services as fast as we use them for the foreseeable future. Sustainability will be defined as the ability to generate the above-mentioned goods and services as fast as we use them for a time long compared to the expected lifetime of our civilization.

Some of our required goods and services are not truly in equilibrium even in an expanding civilization bounded by the solar system, because

  • The sun and the solar system have a finite lifetime, and so our main energy source is being depleted, although at a very slow rate.
  • Whatever is being mined is being depleted, although at a very slow rate.
  • Even bounded only by the solar system, our civilization does not have a purpose for existence partially because it is partially bounded.

In Aquater Papers 2.0 to 2.6 a means accomplishing most of the above requirements missing from an earth-based civilization in a sustainable fashion-i.e. Depletion of the resource happens in a time long compared to the expected lifetime of the civilization. The resources that cannot be supplied sustainably are as follows:

  • Phosphorus and potassium must be mined on earth.
  • Metals must be mined on earth.
  • Dangerous radioactive have not yet been successfully sequestered.
  • Our civilization does not currently supply a purpose for existence when bounded by the earth.

Thus, our civilization is not completely sustainable as long as it is tied to the earth.

 

The Solution

The only solution to complete sustainability for any population is to extend our civilization into space and start inhabiting satellites and mining the asteroids. In AP3.0 to 3.3, this option is explored. To summarize this solution, we note the following:

  • A practical orbital civilization is described that is self-sustaining and can absorb excess earth population.
  • The orbital civilization can mine the asteroids and obtain phosphorus, potassium and metals and transport them to earth.
  • Dangerous radioactive substances can be transported into the sun.
  • Colonizing space provides a new purpose for existence for our civilization, but it has its limits. A complete purpose for the existence of mankind might be to expand in, learn and understand the universe indefinitely. This purpose cannot be obtained without colonizing the stars.

 

Conclusions

In Aquater Papers 3.0 to 3.3 a means accomplishing most of the above requirements missing from an earth-based civilization in a sustainable fashion-i.e. Depletion of the resource happens in a time long compared to the expected lifetime of the civilization. The expected new resources are as follows:

  • Phosphorus and potassium can be mined in the solar system outside of earth.
  • Metals can be mined in the solar system outside of earth.
  • Radioactive substances can be conveyed into the sun.

However, one of the requirements is still lacking, namely:

  • Our civilization does not currently supply a purpose for existence even though it is bounded only by the solar system.

It is believed that our civilization is not completely sustainable as long as it is tied to the solar system, although it might be argued that a civilization tied to the solar system is sufficient for now and perhaps for the foreseeable future. A complete purpose for the existence of mankind might be to expand in, learn and understand the universe indefinitely. This purpose cannot be obtained without colonizing the stars. Colonization of the stars is explored in Aquater Papers 4.0 through 4.4.