Forum Outcomes:
As its main practical outcomes, the Forum, in dedicated groups :
a) led to an open letter project < link to the letter: soon here >
b) identified, a needed clarification for the space community:
Complying with the COSPAR Planetary Protection Policies (PP Policy) does not preclude ethical evaluation. The Policy does not address ethics. A path to action is proposed to the COSPAR PP Panel: Take advantage of the current rewriting effort of the COSPAR Planetary Protection Policy, to clarify this. These outcomes went along and were reinforced by current COSPAR actions or discussions for future ethical Policy amendments or advice for international space agencies
c) led to the practical project of a registry and visualization system, of the cosmic footprint of Humankind
d) led to the practical project of a new entity, supporting the existing framework with agility
These are presented in the report below.
Access the Report:
This report encapsulates the deliberations from the ISSI Forum held on January 8-10, 2024, in Bern, Switzerland, focusing on the ethical implications of humanity’s space activities, and their relation with the largest scales. The forum featured a blend of scientific, ethical, and policy-making discussions with leading experts across these fields.
Forum hosted by ISSI, by the Research group on large scale space ethics : https://www.spaceethics.org