4 October 2022 Local weather and Setting
Maruška Strah is the top of the World Area Week Affiliation, which coordinates the hundreds of actions deliberate for this yr’s World Area Week. In an interview with UN Information, earlier than the stratospheric launch on Tuesday, she instructed us there’s a rising curiosity in house exploration, as an increasing number of individuals understand how necessary house expertise is to attaining a extra sustainable future right here on Earth.
The theme of this yr’s World Area Week is “Area and Sustainability”. The UN Week, the most important annual house occasion on the earth, will deal with explaining how the applied sciences developed to ship objects and folks into house, are having a direct profit on the bottom.
Maruška Strah, the Govt Director of the World Area Week Affiliation, is a member of the Worldwide Institute of Area Legislation, and a member of the Worldwide Affiliation for the Development of Area Security, in addition to the European Centre for Area Legislation. She is learning for a PhD in Authorized Research on the Legislation College of the College of Vienna, the place she is focusing her analysis on Area Visitors Administration, her major space of curiosity.
UN Information Is curiosity in house rising?
Maruška Strah Once I joined 4 years in the past, we counted round 4000 World Area Week occasions, in 86 international locations. Final yr, we recorded 6418 occasions in 96 international locations, so it’s actually rising.
Extra nations have gotten concerned, and extra individuals are involved about house, what’s taking place within the sector, and in addition how house can profit humanity.
I believe there are a number of causes for this. One is that we’re seeing quite a lot of optimistic information from the media, in terms of house exploration, and the dream of going into house is turning into extra life like, for extra individuals.
Artists in house
Additionally, we are actually understanding that everybody has a spot within the house sector. It’s not only for astronauts, engineers, or scientists. I’m a coverage individual, and I didn’t know that house attorneys exist till I selected my Masters diploma!
There will probably be alternatives for thus many sorts of individuals, if we wish to have a presence on one other planet. We’d like artists, music, work, books. There’s actually a chance to discover, and we’ve seen a rising variety of occasions which are associated to exhibitions or artwork contests.
UN Information What’s the theme of World Area Week this yr?
Maruška Strah Area and sustainability. This is essential factor, as a result of it demonstrates our values, as an affiliation dedicated to the Sustainable Growth Targets (SDGs). There will probably be many actually fascinating occasions, how we are able to use house associated applied sciences and functions for the advantage of life on Earth, and the way we are able to defend house as a useful resource.
For instance, US Vice President Kamala Harris has introduced a brand new coalition of house corporations that can deal with growing the house trade’s capability to fulfill the demand for expert technical work for workforce in within the house sector.
Businesses group up
A number of house companies, together with Azer Cosmos in Azerbaijan, the Pakistan house company, and the European Area Company, are planning occasions all through the week, and Airbus will probably be sending its workers to speak to college students in colleges, displaying them what they do, to encourage them.
A number of people will probably be internet hosting occasions, and the calendar is filling up. All contributors and occasion organizers are inspired to register their occasions on a worldwide calendar on our web site, and ship us info in order that we are able to promote them on social media and different communications channels.
UN Information What excites you about house?
Maruška Strah It’s the one sector I ever got here throughout that includes everybody. I don’t assume that we are able to go to house and take the problems we now have right here with us. I believe we now have to beat them; conflicts need to be solved.
If I ever journey to house, I don’t wish to simply sit in a rocket and find yourself on one other planet. I would really like poets with me. I wish to see artists create superb artwork based mostly on what we see It’s one thing that sparks creativeness. And with that, you will have progress.
It’s additionally progress right here on Earth, and this was one of many major explanation why we chosen house and sustainability to be to be this yr’s theme, as a result of house applied sciences and functions immediately profit humanity.
Out of the 169 targets inside the 17 Sustainable Growth Targets, 65 immediately profit from house applied sciences, and this isn’t even counting telecommunications. I don’t assume we are able to survive with out house applied sciences anymore, and I see magnificence in that.
UN Information Do you assume that you simply would possibly have the ability to go to house?
Maruška Strah I like this planet, and I actually get pleasure from my life on Earth. For now, I’ve no want to depart, and I wish to make my setting higher.
