{"id":17319,"date":"2023-01-31T22:23:25","date_gmt":"2023-01-31T14:23:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wp-productionenv-bjg9h2g2bgg5b8aa.southeastasia-01.azurewebsites.net\/news\/science-fiction-focuses-on-the-far-future-of-terraforming-with-a-tie-in-to-todays-cities\/"},"modified":"2023-01-31T22:23:25","modified_gmt":"2023-01-31T14:23:25","slug":"science-fiction-focuses-on-the-far-future-of-terraforming-with-a-tie-in-to-todays-cities","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/news\/science-fiction-focuses-on-the-far-future-of-terraforming-with-a-tie-in-to-todays-cities\/","title":{"rendered":"Science fiction focuses on the far future of terraforming, with a tie-in to today\u2019s cities"},"content":{"rendered":"<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full-width\"><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"630\" height=\"343\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.geekwire.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/230128-terraform-630x343.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-750773\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cdn.geekwire.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/230128-terraform-630x343.jpg 630w, https:\/\/cdn.geekwire.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/230128-terraform-1260x687.jpg 1260w, https:\/\/cdn.geekwire.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/230128-terraform-768x419.jpg 768w, https:\/\/cdn.geekwire.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/230128-terraform-1536x837.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/cdn.geekwire.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/230128-terraform-2048x1116.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 630px) 100vw, 630px\"><figcaption data-nosnippet=\"\" class=\"wp-element-caption\">An artist\u2019s conception shows a city taking shape on Mars. (SpaceX Illustration)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Billionaires such as Elon Musk and Jeff Bezos dream of making Mars more like Earth, or seeing millions of people living and working in space \u2014 but could such dreams ever be turned into reality?<\/p>\n<p>In a new novel titled \u201cThe Terraformers,\u201d science writer Annalee Newitz imagines that tens of thousands of years from now, future billionaires (who are likely to be quintillionaires by then) will figure out exactly how to tailor planets to their customers\u2019 liking. Which wouldn\u2019t necessarily be a good thing.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThere\u2019s a lot of hand-wavy technologies that we would\u2019ve had to have invented,\u201d Newitz admits in the latest episode of the Fiction Science podcast. \u201cYou know, I do think it\u2019s realistic that humans are going to eventually try to set up shop off Earth in some way. \u2026 So I think for me, the question is: terraforming in the name of what, and under the auspices of what organizations.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Newitz is due to discuss \u201cThe Terraformers\u201d and the plot\u2019s parallels to our present day during two meet-ups in Seattle: at Third Place Books on Friday, and at Fuel Coffee&nbsp;on Sunday.<\/p>\n<p><iframe allow=\"autoplay *; encrypted-media *; fullscreen *; clipboard-write\" frameborder=\"0\" height=\"175\" style=\"width:100%;max-width:660px;overflow:hidden;background:transparent;\" sandbox=\"allow-forms allow-popups allow-same-origin allow-scripts allow-storage-access-by-user-activation allow-top-navigation-by-user-activation\" src=\"https:\/\/embed.podcasts.apple.com\/us\/podcast\/annalee-newitz-on-the-terraformers-and-future-cities\/id1528078321?i=1000597345145\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>The environmental issues on the one planet that we\u2019re currently capable of terraforming \u2014 our own \u2014 illustrate how tricky things can get when you start tweaking a planet\u2019s parameters. You could argue that we\u2019re already reshaping Earth\u2019s environment to pump more greenhouse gases into the air, adding to a terraforming trend that\u2019s getting us into more and more trouble.<\/p>\n<p>In an effort to reverse the trend, a group of Harvard researchers proposed conducting an experiment in Sweden that would eventually involve spraying particles into the upper atmosphere to dim the sun\u2019s warming effect. But the experiment was put on hold after an outcry from the region\u2019s indigenous residents and conservationists.<\/p>\n<p>Even the experiment\u2019s principal investigator admits that solar geoengineering probably isn\u2019t a great idea. \u201cI seriously hope we\u2019ll never get in a situation where this actually has to be done, because I still think this is a very scary concept and something will go wrong,\u201d Harvard\u2019s Frank Keutsch told MIT Technology Review. \u201cBut at the same time, I think better understanding what the risks may be is very important.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>When it comes to other planets, some suggestions sound even scarier. A few years ago, SpaceX CEO Elon Musk said one way to make Mars warmer and more Earthlike would involve setting off nuclear bombs above the Red Planet\u2019s atmosphere to vaporize the ice caps.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNot risky \u2026 and can be adjusted\/improved real time,\u201d Musk tweeted.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"alignright size-full is-resized\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.geekwire.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/newitz.jpg\" alt=\"Annalee Newitz portrait\" class=\"wp-image-750847\" width=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cdn.geekwire.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/newitz.jpg 332w, https:\/\/cdn.geekwire.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/newitz-237x300.jpg 237w, https:\/\/cdn.geekwire.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/newitz-200x253.jpg 200w, https:\/\/cdn.geekwire.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/newitz-79x100.jpg 79w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 332px) 100vw, 332px\"><figcaption data-nosnippet=\"\" class=\"wp-element-caption\">Annalee Newitz (Credit: Sarah Deragon)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Newitz said such schemes to geoengineer Earth\u2019s environment \u2014 or the environments of other planets \u2014 \u201craise a lot of questions for me.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIn my novel, I have a terraforming project which is being run by an interstellar real-estate development corporation, which I think is kind of realistic,\u201d said Newitz, who uses they\/them pronouns. \u201cI mean, it\u2019s basically the equivalent of billionaires in space.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>But the billionaires aren\u2019t the ones doing the work. The terraformers of \u201cThe Terraformers\u201d are a motley crew of Homo sapiens, plus other flavors of hominin species, plus totally non-human workers ranging from cats and moose to naked mole rats and earthworms. \u201cThey\u2019re just typical first responders and construction workers and environmental engineers just trying to get by,\u201d Newitz said.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI can imagine the future of terraforming being kind of like Amazon warehouse workers in space,\u201d they explained.<\/p>\n<p>One of the novel\u2019s crazy twists is that the workers aren\u2019t conceived in the traditional way. Instead, they\u2019re manufactured in bioreactors, which gives their corporate overlords the option of providing full human-scale intelligence (even for earthworms!) \u2014 or tamping down their intelligence if they\u2019re meant to do menial tasks.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019s this kind of built-in limiter on people\u2019s brains that can be removed, and is only put in there essentially through cruelty and through a kind of Homo sapiens supremacy,\u201d Newitz said.<\/p>\n<p>As you can imagine, that\u2019s one of the sources of conflict driving the plot. An even bigger question has to do with who owns the property when a private enterprise takes charge of a planet. That question has long been debated in policy circles. In 2015, Congress enacted a law that supported private property rights for resources extracted from off-Earth celestial bodies while leaving aside the issue of extraterrestrial territorial claims.<\/p>\n<p>The remodeled world that\u2019s the focus of \u201cThe Terraformers\u201d starts out being a privately owned planet.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"alignright size-medium is-resized\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.geekwire.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/terraformers-197x300.jpg\" alt=\"&quot;Terraformers&quot; book cover\" class=\"wp-image-750848\" width=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cdn.geekwire.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/terraformers-197x300.jpg 197w, https:\/\/cdn.geekwire.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/terraformers-829x1260.jpg 829w, https:\/\/cdn.geekwire.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/terraformers-768x1167.jpg 768w, https:\/\/cdn.geekwire.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/terraformers-630x958.jpg 630w, https:\/\/cdn.geekwire.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/terraformers-200x304.jpg 200w, https:\/\/cdn.geekwire.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/terraformers-66x100.jpg 66w, https:\/\/cdn.geekwire.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/terraformers.jpg 900w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 197px) 100vw, 197px\"><figcaption data-nosnippet=\"\" class=\"wp-element-caption\">\u201cThe Terraformers\u201d by Annalee Newitz. (Tor Books \/ Macmillan)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019s owned by these real-estate companies,\u201d Newitz said. \u201cSo there\u2019s a movement for a public planet, and for public transit, and for public land. I think that\u2019s a really basic lesson that cities have had to learn over and over again. \u2026 Having accessible transit, giving people mobility, giving people access to education and housing and health care, all of that stuff is part of providing good infrastructure in a city.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>When it comes to the subject of cities, Newitz has more than science fiction in mind. For a previous book titled \u201cFour Lost Cities,\u201d Newitz talked to historians and urban planners about what the rise and fall of ancient cities can teach us about making modern cities work.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWorkers are the people who make the city wonderful,\u201d Newitz said. \u201cThese people are the lifeblood of the city. It\u2019s not the dude living in a tower with a billion dollars. He has nothing to do with what makes a city good. So, I think one of the things that\u2019s a very easy lesson to learn is, don\u2019t mistreat your workers.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Newitz, who lives in San Francisco, said the tale of \u201cThe Terraformers\u201d draws in part upon personal experiences and observations.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI think we\u2019re going through a period in our history, especially in places like Seattle and San Francisco, where the tech industry is slowly awakening people to the idea that maybe they need to have more worker solidarity,\u201d they said. \u201cThat\u2019s something that I deal with a little bit in \u2018The Terraformers.&#8217;\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Newitz has a lot of fun with the non-human characters in the novel \u2014 including some R-rated references to robot sex in the year 60,610 \u2014 but by the end of the book, you\u2019re likely to be reflecting more deeply on the prospects for cities and societies on 21st-century Earth.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI\u2019d like to see Earth become a public planet,\u201d Newitz said. \u201cI think that would be a really good step forward.\u201d<\/p>\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\">\n<p><em>Annalee Newitz is in the midst of a book tour for \u201cThe Terraformers,\u201d and their itinerary includes a conversation with Seattle librarian Misha Stone at Third Place Books Ravenna at 7 p.m. Feb. 3, co-sponsored by the Seattle Public Library. Newitz will also do a meet-up and book signing at Fuel Coffee in Seattle\u2019s Wallingford neighborhood at 4 p.m. Feb. 5.<\/em><\/p>\n<p><em>My co-host for the Fiction Science podcast is Dominica Phetteplace, an&nbsp;award-winning writer&nbsp;who is a graduate of the&nbsp;Clarion West Writers Workshop&nbsp;and currently lives in Berkeley, Calif. To learn more about Phetteplace, visit her website, DominicaPhetteplace.com.<\/em><\/p>\n<p><em>Check out&nbsp;the original version of this item on Cosmic Log&nbsp;for bonus reading recommendations from Annalee Newitz. And stay tuned for future episodes of the&nbsp;Fiction Science podcast via Anchor, Apple, Google, Overcast, Spotify, Breaker, Pocket Casts, Radio Public and Reason.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>An artist\u2019s conception shows a city taking shape on Mars. (SpaceX Illustration) Billionaires such as Elon Musk and Jeff Bezos dream of making Mars more like Earth, or seeing millions of people living and working in space \u2014 but could such dreams ever be turned into reality? In a new novel titled \u201cThe Terraformers,\u201d science [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[4594,4418,4595,4419,4596,4482,4310,4597],"class_list":["post-17319","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-news","tag-annalee-newitz","tag-books","tag-cities","tag-fiction-science","tag-geoengineering","tag-science-fiction","tag-urban-planning","tag-urban-visions"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17319"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=17319"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17319\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=17319"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=17319"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=17319"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}