The Mars Colony

A global consortium of space agencies and private companies has a credible plan to establish a self-sustaining human colony on Mars. The cost is astronomical, equivalent to solving global hunger for a decade. Proponents argue that becoming a multi-planetary species is essential for the long-term survival of humanity, a hedge against existential risks like asteroid impacts or pandemics. Opponents argue that it is a moral failure to spend trillions on 'escaping' Earth when those same resources could be used to solve pressing problems right here, right now.