Policy Insights

Coming soon: Policy reports on (1) Dark & Quiet Skies, (2) Nature Preservation & Restoration, (3) Youth-led Peace Movements, and (4) Human Rights Defenders. See here for our upcoming policy workshop: Dublin.

Read our Report titled, A Policy Framework for International Cooperation in Space Biotechnology

Biotechnology is an indispensable tool for long-term human space exploration, especially if the goal is for humans to not only be able to survive in space, but to flourish. At the intersection of simultaneous advancements in both space and biotech is the capacity to engineer closed-loop space systems that generate food, oxygen, medicine, habitats, and other materials sustainably without having to bring everything from Earth. Future scientific, resource, and security benefits are tremendous, but there are also many ethical risks. In this report, a team of interdisciplinary experts in the fields of political science, international affairs, biotechnology, philosophy, ethics, environmental science, and chemistry, argue that deeper and deliberate international and transnational cooperation will be crucially important to expand space diplomacy and governance as the genomic and space revolutions collide.

Also, check out our Space Diplomacy panel at Carnegie Council for Ethics in International Affairs as part of the Unlocking Cooperation series where we discuss the opportunities and challenges for a new space age. Novel ethical questions, governance challenges, and new forms of cooperation are emerging across sectors and technologies.

Northeastern University’s Ethics Institute partnered with Carnegie Council to host this special convening on the future of international space governance, diplomacy, security, and sustainability.