Universal Protection of Life Support Systems

Last updated: Jan 4, 2021

Overview

Orbital Farm and its partners are working toward developing multiple projects around the world in the effort to make access to healthy, affordable food, medicines, and vaccines available to everyone on earth today, and, in space tomorrow. Orbital Farm integrates existing, proven technologies to create circular designed industrial scale agriculture systems, capable of producing both food and vaccines. We are addressing a severe and critical global need as more than 25.9% of the global population (more than 2 billion people) are moderate to severely food insecure. This number has only been increasing since 2014. COVID-19 will push this number up another 83 Million to 132 Million more undernourished people in 2020. Through the Sustainable Development Goals, the United Nations have recognized food and health as basic human rights and pledged to end global hunger by 2030 (SDG#2). When the basic requirements of Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs are not met, it leads to conflict, war, migration, and humanitarian crises.

To address the challenge, which is severely off track from being achieved, Orbital Farm projects must be developed all over the world, including developed and developing nations. This includes areas where investors might be cautious to invest, areas with political turmoil and countries with potential conflict. To address the need and risks with sustainable solutions there is a requirement to protect the IP, technologies, investors, and assets wherever we are, on earth and in Space. The work that Orbital Farm is undertaking by building and operating hundreds of large scale closed loop farms around the world, will in parallel lead to the development of building closed loop life support systems in space, on the Moon and Mars in the future. Once development of a facility is completed and providing food and medicine to a population (on or off earth) people’s lives become reliant on this supply chain maintaining uninterrupted operation. Should these facilities be attacked or disabled by advisories, terrorism, cyber threats, or other nations this would immediately put these populations lives at risk. These facilities become critical to supporting the lives of many people and should be classified as life support systems to humanity. We aim to identify these projects as essential assets to be protected through an internationally recognized agreement. This agreement must extend to anywhere humans live, all countries around the world but also into space, the Moon, Mars and beyond. Life support systems should become protected assets just as outlined in the many international agreements (like article 54 of the Geneva Convention: which prohibits the destruction of infrastructure basic to life, such as foodstuffs, electricity, drinking water, etc.) already in place which protect civilian life, health and access to fresh food and water. In space this also includes access to breathable air and oxygen. Life support systems must not be targets of conflict and war. Astronauts, taikonauts and cosmonauts are society's shining examples of humanity, and their lives must never become pawns in war or politics. Just as every life in space is valuable, so too are the billions of lives here on earth.

While space conflict seems like a distant worry to be a concern for the next generation and unfathomable today, we must recognize that within the next 3.5 to 4 years we will have American astronauts on the surface of the Moon. China is currently operating a rover on the surface today and has stated plans to deploy sustainable settlements on the south pole of the Moon. This too is where NASA has plans to locate a sustainable presence on the lunar surface. With the rapidly accelerating tensions and rejection of the Artemis accords by both Russia and China, and a fundamental disagreement between the rights of commercial and state operators in space, space debris, safety zones, ownership and many other issues are ongoing challenges. The potential for conflict is high today and increasing at a rapid pace.

We believe that a multilateral agreement focused on the protection of civilian life and assets to support life, can gain rapid and universal agreement between all nations and act as a cornerstone to future agreements and frameworks to be built upon. We must work now to protect the life of humans, no matter the nation which they are coming from or where they are. Should a conflict develop, and life support systems are disabled, this will rapidly lead to loss of life and the potential for international conflict of unimaginable scales back on earth. This is far too great of a risk to be left unaddressed. It is crucial to have diplomacy where resources will be scarce, and competition high. To protect the wellbeing of all earths people and ensure that their human rights are recognized everywhere, including space we must act now and develop a universal agreement to the protection of life support systems.

What will we achieve?

One of the most incredible things humanity has ever done is collaborate to build the most expensive object in history, the International Space Station. Cold War nations came together, with countries from all over the world to build this amazing feat of engineering for the good of humanity. Food and space are the two great things that connect us all. Ever since the beginning of man, we have looked up and shared stories about space, the Moon, and the stars. Food is the bond that brings everyone together, no matter where you are from.

Being a Canadian and commercial company, Orbital Farm is uniquely positioned to be able to work on an agreement without the hindrance of politics, trade, and bias. We believe that we can work between all the space faring nations of the world, and even more importantly bringing those nations which have yet to join the space industry to the table. We can build a consensus of the willing by developing an agreement that all parties can align around, with a foundation solidly grounded in human rights and values.

We will develop a multilateral agreement with a collection of existing international agreements which are already in place and adopted globally. We will be referencing these articles to build the framework of the universal protection of human rights and life support systems on earth and in space.

We will develop scenarios that build situations on earth and in space to outline the need or potential conflicts and outcomes that could arise from the current state, which is the lack of agreement.

We aim to host events, write a paper, build a website, and create videos that outlines and summarizes the situation and suggests a framework for a treaty. This can be discussed together with international parties from space agencies, lawyers, universities, commercial companies, militaries and think tanks. Developing the framework with these multilateral partners involved from the start should lead to a robust agreement with all parties’ interests aligned regarding the protection of astronauts' and human lives. We believe that this unique approach can become a basis for agreements across all space nations and most other nations around the world today.

To date we have built a network of space lawyers from Canada, USA, UAE, Australia who have all agreed to participate and contribute to our effort. We have recently contacted others in India, China, Russia, and the EU with whom we intend to develop conversations to further discuss our proposal and gain their alignment as well. CIGI - The Centre for International Governance Innovation in Waterloo, Ontario Canada have expressed interest in publishing a paper on this topic as discussed above and we will seek to develop feedback, discussion, and agreement from a wider number of parties globally through this and other efforts.

Once we have refined the framework, we would seek to bring this to proposal at a G20 event and/or involvement from international organizations such as the UN. We believe that we, Orbital Farm and Canada are uniquely positioned in the world to help to bring together a multilateral agreement of this level of importance and urgent need, that will ensure peaceful development and human rights to all of humanity, everywhere.

What we are looking for and how you can help?

The development of a paper, agreement, content, and framework requires involvement from legal professionals involved in IP, Space Law, Human rights, Commercial law, International Trade, Militaries, UN SDG’s, International security, Biological weapons prevention, sociologists, philanthropists, and space agencies all from different countries around the world. We are seeking involvement from partners in the form of time and contributions, as well as capital to finance the expenses, activities, content, events, and develop this solution to its full extent over the next couple years. We would also greatly appreciate letters of support from any individuals, companies, agencies, groups or even countries that show interest and alignment with our efforts.

Thank you for your time and attention on this important topic and we look forward to working with you to further this vision.

Sincerely,

Scot Bryson
Founder, Orbital Farm
http://orbital.farm