Big-Picture Thinking

It's not just climate change or biodiversity loss or superintelligent A.I. that could cause human civilization to fall apart—it's more likely to be a convergence of many factors happening simultaneously.

With more humans and farm animals alive now than ever before, more people than ever before living in densely packed urban areas with poor sanitation, and the future threat of climate change, our risk of experiencing a major global pandemic may be increasing.

Human beings landed on the Moon fifty years ago. While it's impressive that this feat still remains the high-water mark of human achievement all these decades later, the idea of putting humans back on the Moon within the next decade seems a bit underwhelming.

Mars is a bit of reach. It would be a huge undertaking—and an epic accomplishment—for our civilization if we're ever able to establish a human presence on the red planet. Despite the costs, there are a few reasons why it might be a good idea to start thinking about Mars more seriously.