Nodir Adilov , Peter Alexander , Brendan Cunningham
{"title":"从地球气候变化的角度理解轨道污染的经济学","authors":"Nodir Adilov , Peter Alexander , Brendan Cunningham","doi":"10.1016/j.spacepol.2021.101471","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Orbital space is an economically and socially valuable resource that provides a vast array of satellite communication services for consumers, businesses, scientists, and governments. Among the socially valuable services provided, orbital satellites collect various types of environmental data relating to the earth's surface and atmosphere. These data help scientists monitor and better understand the evolving terrestrial environment. When satellites are launched and undertake missions in orbital space, they create pollution in the form of orbital debris. Orbital debris can, and does, damage or destroy other satellites. National entities that use orbital space pledge to follow voluntary guidelines for minimizing orbital debris, but many do not comply. This noncompliant behavior, along with a substantial increase in the number of satellites in orbit, causes the density of the debris fields in orbit to increase, making it more likely that an increasing number of other satellites will be damaged or destroyed. The limiting case of this process is a “collisional cascade,” which renders an orbit unusable. This scenario is broadly analogous to the effects of human-produced CO<sub>2</sub>, both in terms of the increasing economic and social costs of environmental damage over time and the difficulty in binding nations to international agreements. Because satellites are vital to monitoring terrestrial conditions and provide unique data on the current state of the global environment, we suggest there is a natural linkage for including orbital space in climate change negotiations. Although this might complicate climate change negotiations, we demonstrate how it could also usefully expand the overall bargaining space, providing new opportunities for agreement.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":45924,"journal":{"name":"Space Policy","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":2.0000,"publicationDate":"2022-02-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":"0","resultStr":"{\"title\":\"Understanding the Economics of Orbital Pollution Through the Lens of Terrestrial Climate Change\",\"authors\":\"Nodir Adilov , Peter Alexander , Brendan Cunningham\",\"doi\":\"10.1016/j.spacepol.2021.101471\",\"DOIUrl\":null,\"url\":null,\"abstract\":\"<div><p>Orbital space is an economically and socially valuable resource that provides a vast array of satellite communication services for consumers, businesses, scientists, and governments. Among the socially valuable services provided, orbital satellites collect various types of environmental data relating to the earth's surface and atmosphere. These data help scientists monitor and better understand the evolving terrestrial environment. When satellites are launched and undertake missions in orbital space, they create pollution in the form of orbital debris. Orbital debris can, and does, damage or destroy other satellites. National entities that use orbital space pledge to follow voluntary guidelines for minimizing orbital debris, but many do not comply. This noncompliant behavior, along with a substantial increase in the number of satellites in orbit, causes the density of the debris fields in orbit to increase, making it more likely that an increasing number of other satellites will be damaged or destroyed. The limiting case of this process is a “collisional cascade,” which renders an orbit unusable. This scenario is broadly analogous to the effects of human-produced CO<sub>2</sub>, both in terms of the increasing economic and social costs of environmental damage over time and the difficulty in binding nations to international agreements. Because satellites are vital to monitoring terrestrial conditions and provide unique data on the current state of the global environment, we suggest there is a natural linkage for including orbital space in climate change negotiations. Although this might complicate climate change negotiations, we demonstrate how it could also usefully expand the overall bargaining space, providing new opportunities for agreement.</p></div>\",\"PeriodicalId\":45924,\"journal\":{\"name\":\"Space Policy\",\"volume\":null,\"pages\":null},\"PeriodicalIF\":2.0000,\"publicationDate\":\"2022-02-01\",\"publicationTypes\":\"Journal Article\",\"fieldsOfStudy\":null,\"isOpenAccess\":false,\"openAccessPdf\":\"\",\"citationCount\":\"0\",\"resultStr\":null,\"platform\":\"Semanticscholar\",\"paperid\":null,\"PeriodicalName\":\"Space Policy\",\"FirstCategoryId\":\"90\",\"ListUrlMain\":\"https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0265964621000631\",\"RegionNum\":4,\"RegionCategory\":\"社会学\",\"ArticlePicture\":[],\"TitleCN\":null,\"AbstractTextCN\":null,\"PMCID\":null,\"EPubDate\":\"\",\"PubModel\":\"\",\"JCR\":\"Q2\",\"JCRName\":\"INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS\",\"Score\":null,\"Total\":0}","platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Space Policy","FirstCategoryId":"90","ListUrlMain":"https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0265964621000631","RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"社会学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q2","JCRName":"INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS","Score":null,"Total":0}
Understanding the Economics of Orbital Pollution Through the Lens of Terrestrial Climate Change
Orbital space is an economically and socially valuable resource that provides a vast array of satellite communication services for consumers, businesses, scientists, and governments. Among the socially valuable services provided, orbital satellites collect various types of environmental data relating to the earth's surface and atmosphere. These data help scientists monitor and better understand the evolving terrestrial environment. When satellites are launched and undertake missions in orbital space, they create pollution in the form of orbital debris. Orbital debris can, and does, damage or destroy other satellites. National entities that use orbital space pledge to follow voluntary guidelines for minimizing orbital debris, but many do not comply. This noncompliant behavior, along with a substantial increase in the number of satellites in orbit, causes the density of the debris fields in orbit to increase, making it more likely that an increasing number of other satellites will be damaged or destroyed. The limiting case of this process is a “collisional cascade,” which renders an orbit unusable. This scenario is broadly analogous to the effects of human-produced CO2, both in terms of the increasing economic and social costs of environmental damage over time and the difficulty in binding nations to international agreements. Because satellites are vital to monitoring terrestrial conditions and provide unique data on the current state of the global environment, we suggest there is a natural linkage for including orbital space in climate change negotiations. Although this might complicate climate change negotiations, we demonstrate how it could also usefully expand the overall bargaining space, providing new opportunities for agreement.
期刊介绍:
Space Policy is an international, interdisciplinary journal which draws on the fields of international relations, economics, history, aerospace studies, security studies, development studies, political science and ethics to provide discussion and analysis of space activities in their political, economic, industrial, legal, cultural and social contexts. Alongside full-length papers, which are subject to a double-blind peer review system, the journal publishes opinion pieces, case studies and short reports and, in so doing, it aims to provide a forum for the exchange of ideas and opinions and a means by which authors can alert policy makers and international organizations to their views. Space Policy is also a journal of record, reproducing, in whole or part, official documents such as treaties, space agency plans or government reports relevant to the space community. Views expressed in the journal are not necessarily those of the editors or members of the editorial board.