The future of humanity may be at a crucial turning point, say Astronomer Royal Martin Rees.
In a wide-ranging talk at 快猫短视频 Live in London on Sunday, Rees said that inaction may lead to a 鈥渃atastrophic setback to civilisation鈥�.
Speaking about energy policy, artificial intelligence and space exploration, Rees called for accelerated research into low-carbon energy sources and the need for urgent climate action.
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鈥淓xtinction rates are rising. We鈥檙e destroying the book of life before we鈥檝e read it,鈥� said Rees. 鈥淭he biomass in humans, cows and domestic animals is 20 times that in wild mammals.鈥�
Public pressure is an important driver of political decision-making, said Rees. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 why we should welcome public demonstrations,鈥� he said.
Rees added that the UK will benefit economically by investing in alternative energy sources, including nuclear fusion. 鈥淧rioritising clean energy research as much as defence research or medical research, we can aspire to make a much more than 2 percent difference to the world鈥檚 CO2 emissions,鈥� he said.
Speaking about the impact of artificial intelligence on the future of humanity, Rees warned that AI systems will become more intrusive and pervasive.
鈥淩ecords of our movements, our health, and our financial transactions will be in the cloud, managed by a multinational quasi-monopoly,鈥� said Rees.
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These collections of data are already 鈥渟hifting the balance of power from governments to globe-spanning conglomerates鈥�, and the responsibility will fall to governments to redistribute wealth to preserve healthy societies, he said.
Autonomous robots will likely transform our lives, Rees added, but whether they will be 鈥渋diot savants鈥� or superhuman in ability remains to be seen.
Turning outward to space, Rees said that the need for manned spaceflight is decreasing as advanced robots improve. 鈥淒uring this century, the whole solar system will be explored by swarms of miniaturised probes,鈥� he said.
Spaceflight beyond low-Earth orbit will be pioneered by private companies such as Elon Musk鈥檚 SpaceX and Jeff Bezos鈥檚 Blue Origin, but will be high-risk trips, said Rees, who objected to the term 鈥渟pace tourism鈥�. 鈥淭hese exploits must be sold as dangerous sports or intrepid exploration.鈥�
鈥淒on鈥檛 ever expect mass emigration from Earth,鈥� he said. 鈥淚 think it鈥檚 a dangerous delusion to think that space offers an escape from Earth鈥檚 problems.鈥�
鈥淒ealing with climate change here on Earth may be hard, but it鈥檚 a doddle compared to terraforming Mars. There鈥檚 no planet B for ordinary, risk-averse people.鈥�
