Promoting Sustainability Value in Earth's Orbit

TY - GEN

T1 - Promoting Sustainability Value in Earth's Orbit

AU - Cirkovic, Elena

AU - Rathnasabapathy, Minoo

AU - Wood, Danielle

N1 - Publisher Copyright: © 2022 by the International Astronautical Federation (IAF). All rights reserved.

PY - 2022

Y1 - 2022

N2 - This paper aims to implement an interdisciplinary approach to sustainability and protection of the orbital environment in relation to the current commercial activities. It argues that orbital and planetary sustainability, and the corresponding evolution of domestic, international, and regional regulatory instruments, need to take place in conjunction with sustainability of the Earth System, where the term “Earth system" refers to Earth's interacting physical, chemical, and biological processes. The paper focuses on interaction of complex systems to engage with important challenges that lie at the intersection of these domains. The starting point is the international outer space law, as an adaptive anthropogenic system, and its broader contextualisation in relation to Earth System and non-anthropogenic agencies. The paper then situates the role of private corporations and argues for the promotion of Sustainability Values and Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) in outer space and the Earth System. An example of such an initiative, the Space Sustainability Rating (SSR), proposed by an interdisciplinary seeks to foster voluntary action by satellite operators to reduce the risk of space debris, on-orbit collisions, and unsustainable space operations. The paper argues for a transdisciplinary, plural, and coordinated approaches to address the environmental impact of anthropogenic activities in the outer space-Earth System interactions.

AB - This paper aims to implement an interdisciplinary approach to sustainability and protection of the orbital environment in relation to the current commercial activities. It argues that orbital and planetary sustainability, and the corresponding evolution of domestic, international, and regional regulatory instruments, need to take place in conjunction with sustainability of the Earth System, where the term “Earth system" refers to Earth's interacting physical, chemical, and biological processes. The paper focuses on interaction of complex systems to engage with important challenges that lie at the intersection of these domains. The starting point is the international outer space law, as an adaptive anthropogenic system, and its broader contextualisation in relation to Earth System and non-anthropogenic agencies. The paper then situates the role of private corporations and argues for the promotion of Sustainability Values and Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) in outer space and the Earth System. An example of such an initiative, the Space Sustainability Rating (SSR), proposed by an interdisciplinary seeks to foster voluntary action by satellite operators to reduce the risk of space debris, on-orbit collisions, and unsustainable space operations. The paper argues for a transdisciplinary, plural, and coordinated approaches to address the environmental impact of anthropogenic activities in the outer space-Earth System interactions.

KW - Corporate Social Responsibility

KW - Earth System

KW - International Outer Space Law

KW - Sustainability Value

UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85167620766&partnerID=8YFLogxK

M3 - Conference article

AN - SCOPUS:85167620766

SN - 0074-1795

VL - 2022-September

JO - Proceedings of the International Astronautical Congress, IAC

JF - Proceedings of the International Astronautical Congress, IAC

M1 - 190266

T2 - 73rd International Astronautical Congress, IAC 2022

Y2 - 18 September 2022 through 22 September 2022

ER -