Scientists are calling for the conclusion of an international cosmic garbage treaty

In the article published on Thursday in the journal Science, scientists call for the conclusion of a legally binding international treaty that guarantees that the orbit of the Earth will not be irreparably damaged by the future expansion of the space industry on a global scale.

The position is held by specialists in areas such as satellite technologies and pollution of the oceans with plastic.

Some of the experts were at the forefront of commitment to a global agreement on the fight against plastic pollution, which was adopted in March 2022 more than 170 countries at the United Nations Assembly on the Environment.

According to experts, any obliging agreement on the protection of the Earth’s orbit from pollution with cosmic garbage should include measures providing for the liability of manufacturers and users of satellites (and their fragments) from the moment they are launched into space. Commercial expenses should be taken into account when accountable.

According to estimates, by 2030, more than 60,000 satellites will be in the near -Earth orbit, where billions of the remains of ancient uninterrupted satellites will circulate.

The British University of Plimut, whose scientists supported the idea of ​​an international treaty on the protection of the earth’s orbit, warn in their statement that “there are fears that the predicted growth of the” cosmic “industry can make most of the earth’s orbit unusable.” “.

Researcher Kimberly Mariner from the North American Space Agency (NASA), who signed the SCIENCE article, emphasizes that “the minimum of environmental pollution with a low -earth orbit will allow maintaining space development and the development of space technologies” with the influence of human life.