A DISASTER WAITING TO HAPPEN

Earth is blanketed by a swarm of human-made debris hurtling around at speeds of up to 8km per second - about five times the speed of a bullet. The UK's Earth & Space Sustainability Initiative hopes to catch these fast-moving projectiles and clean up the nasty, and potentially lethal, mess our cosmic littering habit has caused

- DR STUART CLARK

We used to think of Earth and the night sky as completely different realms. Whereas Earth is lush, green and filled with life, outer space is remote, dark and forbidding. Now we know that is simply not true.

Instead of outer space, we should think of it as near space. As British astronomer Fred Hoyle (1915-2001) was quoted as saying in a 1979 edition of The Observer: "Space isn't remote at all. It's only an hour's drive away if your car could go straight upwards."

Our use of satellites for communications, navigation and observation has tied Earth and space together as never before. It's no exaggeration to say that society as we know it could not function without the satellite networks that circle the planet.

Something approaching half of the 195 countries in the world now own at least one satellite. As a result, what happens in space inevitably influences what happens on Earth, and vice versa. Space has become an extension of Earth's environment, a new frontier where human influence is felt.

It's therefore essential that we understand the limits of this new environment and its resources to ensure that our current activities are sustainable, so that future generations can continue to benefit from the unique opportunities that space offers.

A CHANGE OF APPROACH

"I do think we're at a juncture where we need to review what we've been doing in space and consider what's needed for the future," says Joanne Wheeler, managing partner at the London-based law firm Alden Legal, which specialises in satellite, space and communications law.

Wheeler has a background in space law and international environmental law, and has been interested in space debris for around 25 years, having once been the European Space Agency's main lawyer covering issues related to space debris.