The program of the 18th SDG session at United Nations General Assembly 78 – 15 September 2023

Speaker		Abstract
Adriano V. Autino (Italy)	Space Renaissance International, CEO, Founder	Civilian Space Development vs. new Colonialism The historic colonialists moved from Europe to the rest of planet Earth upon a "rob and take home" strategy. Such a policy was socially and culturally detrimental, both for colonist and colonized Countries, spreading a practice, and an ideology, of robbery and exploitation – not to advance civil rights. Nowadays, sending robots to grab Moon and asteroids resources and bringing them on Earth surface, would be even more noxious for our civilization, since it would increase the pressure on planet Earth environment, increase the industrial activities here, prevent Human species next evolutionary step, and steal the future of our children, the space settlers. Civilian space development in outer space, expanding civilization to Earth orbit, cislunar space, Mars and beyond in the Solar System is the highroad, to overcome the multiple crises on Earth, and relaunch the growth of civilization. The proposal to add an 18th SDG to the U.N. Agenda 2030 is motivated by the natural evolutionary impulse of our species, to go overcome the natural limits of our Mother Planet.
Bernard Foing (NL)	Space Renaissance International, President	Space For All
Karlton Johnson (USA)	Chairman, National Space Society Board of Governors	An 18th SDG: Space for All, Civilian Space Development, on Earth and Beyond
Frank White (USA)	Human Space Program, Founder	The Overview Effect, Large-Scale Space Migration, and The SDGs Space, with a “capital S,” should be one of the Sustainable Development Goals of the UN, because it will support achievement of the other SDGs. The Overview Effect, or view of the Earth from space and in space, offers the transformation in perspective that will allow humanity to work collaboratively on eliminating hunger, achieving peace, striving for equity, and all of the other aspirations of the SDGs. Large-Scale Space Migration will relieve the pressure on the Earth’s carrying capacity of our advanced technological civilization. This, too, will support achievement of the other 17 goals. Put simply, without Space, the noble vision of sustainable development will be difficult to achieve.
Bob Zubrin (USA)	The Mars Society	tbd
Gary P. Barnhard (USA)	Space Development Foundation, Founder	Architecting the Future: This is the way!? Architecting the Future requires a different perspective, the nexus of space. Nexus, in this case, is the intersection between the science of what we know, space systems engineering reduced to practice, and enlightened architectural design. Our sustainable development efforts should be viewed as a set of conceptual threads intended to draw out the confluence of interests needed to bias our endeavors toward better outcomes. The process goal is to reverse engineer the desired outcomes by orchestrating a combination of technology development “push” and mission requirements “pull”. In these challenging times, the importance of the investment we make in providing for the future, including space exploration and development, is not to be underestimated. It serves as a foundation for hope. It serves as an affirmation that we are a resilient society that will not be deterred from lending our efforts to forge a brighter tomorrow. We must become the best stewards we can of Earth, life as we know it, and our expanding habitat in space.
Al Anzaldùa (USA)	National Space Society	A civilian led space development
Steve Wolfe (USA)	Beyond Earth Institute	The Role that Space in the Future of Human Civilization Consistent with the U.N.'s desire to take a long view of future history, as evidenced by 17 SDGs, it must also recognize the domain of space as an integral component of the long-term sustainability of life on Earth. Space is the missing piece in this wonderful mosaic of goals. Global forces are already in motion to enable human expansion throughout the solar system. Through the SDG initiative, the U.N. has an opportunity to embrace that vision and be integrated with the emerging potential.
Anita Gale (USA)	National Space Society	tbd
Rick Tumlinson (USA)	EarthLight Foundation	tbd
Stephan Reckie (USA)	Global Entrepreneurship Network Space	Space as an Eighteenth SDG provides a goal for Social Astropreneurship Creating an 18th SDG for Space will create opportunities for Social Astropreneurship, just like the existing ones create and drive Social Entpreneurship
Dennis O'Brien (USA)	The Space Treaty Project, Founder	The Emerging Legal Framework for Civilian Activity in Outer Space The United Nations Committee on Peaceful Uses of Outer Space has created a Working Group on Outer Space Resource Activity that will have a major impact on civilian activity in outer space. The main issues being considered are 1) ownership of resources removed from in place; 2) the need for exclusive/priority zones to sustain private resource activity; 3) sharing information from resource activity, including the discovery of additional resources. The WG has a mandate to consider \"additional international governance instruments\" to address these issues. Some want no additional regulation, while others want a supra-national authority that will pre-approve all space resource activity. This speech will focus on a compromise solution: a binding international treaty without a supra-national authority that will support all private activity in outer space (commerce and settlements) while still protecting essential public policies such as free access, nonappropriation, sharing information, the preservation of scientific and cultural/historical sites, and the right of settlements to become self-governing under customary international law.
Carlos Duarte (Mexico)	Mexican Space Agency	tbd
Sam Coniglio (USA)	Space Tourism Society	Creature Comforts in Space: Designing Enjoyment and Sustainability for Off-World Living After 50 years of space exploration, off-world living is still like going on an extreme camping trip. You have to bring all the supplies you need to stay alive. Living out there is uncomfortable at best. There is a proposal for an 18th Sustainable Development Goal of “Space for All – Civilian Space Development and Life beyond Earth.” So much has changed since the UN SDGs were first developed in 2015, including the advent of reusable rockets, space commercialization, and a dramatic increase in Space Tourism. As this brave new era develops, we need to improve the fundamentals of the human experience in space. To make life off-world more practical, we need to address the issue of Creature Comforts: those hard-to-describe things that make life more enjoyable, have psychological benefits, and are fun! By improving sustainability techniques, future space stations can become role models for efficient living! Technology from NASA’s Space Spinoffs have revolutionized our society since the beginning of the Space Age. It is time to take a look at the dangers of space travel and turn them into design constraints for new concepts for living better off-world, and maybe, improving life on Earth.
Ghanim Alotaibi (Kuwait)	Space Renaissance International, Board of Directors	The 18th SDG and Emerging - Space Countries For the first time in history, we are witnessing announcements from high officials representing major space agencies in the world about sustainable human presence in the moon. We are also witnessing a dramatic reduction in launching cost, which will allow for new markets such as space tourism, space based solar power, space manufacturing and more. This new paradigm of the space industry will transform humanity forever. The vast majority of the world population are unaware of the new paradigm. The lack of awareness extends to the consequences of the exponential growth of human population and the carrying limit of Earth. This talk explains how the 18th SDG will raise awareness about the new paradigm of the space industry and that the expansion of humanity to outer space is a historical opportunity.
Alberto Cavallo (Italy)	Space Renaissance International, Board of Directors	Dual use? Peaceful and less peaceful use of space Space technologies and the use of space in general have always had two faces: for peaceful purposes and for the power, military and political, of the nations. The first flight to space of a human made vehicle happened during World War II and involved a rocket that was to become a weapon, the German A4/V2. The first satellite, the Sputnik, was put in orbit by a modified intercontinental ballistic missile, originally designed to carry nuclear warheads. Even after the Outer Space Treaty removed the possibility to put weapons of mass destruction in outer space, the main motivation of the Moon race remained political. In fact, the Apollo program was quickly abandoned before it could develop into a permanent human presence on the Moon, not justifiable for power purposes. In this new century commercial space development has started and even if it is partially used for military missions it can open the phase of the truly peaceful development in space, which cannot be just some science, but must become economically viable peaceful business
Henk Rogers (USA)	International Moonbase Alliance, Founder	Sustainability on the Moon & Mars leads to sustainability on Earth No colony has on Earth that was not self sufficient. The same will hold true for colonies on other planets. In order for humans to survive on other planets, they will have to learn how to be self sufficient. The technologies we will develop to live on other planets will directly benefit our ability to live on Earth. Everything we send to other planets will be reused. Space colonies will be perfectly circular economies. Nothing will be wasted. Just like the effort to enable satellites to be energy self sufficient brought us solar panels, so will the effort to enable life on other planets bring us the ability to live within planetary boundaries on Earth. It is imperative that we develop all technologies necessary for humanity to live in harmony with nature for us to survive and thrive.
Werner Grandl (Austria)	Space Renaissance International, Board of Directors	Near Earth Asteroids - Utilization and Human Settlement To ensure that mankind will survive as a species in the long run, we have to face the \"asteroid threat\" seriously. On the one hand we will have to develop methods of detection and deflection for hazardous asteroids, on the other hand we can use these methods to modify their orbits and exploit their resources. Rare-earth elements, rare metals like platinum group elements, etc., may be extracted more easily from NEAs than from terrestrial soil, without enviromental pollution or political and social problems. To change the orbit of NEAs it is necessary to develop advanced propulsion systems to move the huge masses of these asteroids, like Deuterium-Helium-3 fusion engines. For the mining process an Earth orbit beyond the Moon should enable us to keep the rate of mining advance equal to the rate of cargo shipping between the NEA and the Earth-Moon system. After the mining process NEAs with more than 400 m in diameter can be used to build rotating toroidal habitats inside the stony hull. To use asteroid resources will be a crucial step of human evolution and establish human civilization in space.
Marie Luise-Heuser (Germany)	Space Renaissance International, Board of Directors	Transterrestrialism. Why we are not just earthlings Human beings are not local, earthbound beings, but universal beings capable of constantly transcending boundaries and horizons, both cognitively and practically. This has been reflected in the long tradition of philosophy, art and religion as a basic trait of creative humanity. One need only think of Plato's sky chariot or Giordano Bruno's space explorations with the wings of the mind. The human spirit is essentially free and cannot be confined in closed systems. That is why he invents techniques that carry us also beyond the earth. The first fictional moon travelers were already aware of this. Transterrestrialism has, will and must overcome geocentrism in its also modern varieties, because transterrestrialism corresponds to the nature of man.
Harry Nagano (USA)	CEO, The United Humanity of the Universe Society	Importance of Establishing Space18SDG for all Nations and Humanity I am presenting a speech on behalf of The United Humanity of the Universe (UHU) Society, as a victim of nuclear bomb (Nagasaki 1945) along with Mr. Franck whose family fled holocaust (Europe 1940), to convince UN to successfully establish Space18SDG, as we have also been promoting similar SDG since the 1st UN Conference on Space Law and Policy, held in Moscow, 2018. In fact, we have received supporting letters regarding our UHU activities from Russia and U.S leaderships (See, WWW.UHU.World) as its missions will help to prevent space wars or destructions in Moon, Mars or Earth itself. It also supports other missions and activities to prevent domestic/international conflicts such as due to political, religious, racial conflicts in support of UN to successfully accomplish its 17 SDGs related missions. In summary, I strongly support the establishment of Space18SDG as a scientist who has worked extensively on space related matters such as the successful developments of the furthest manmade object still flying thru the deep space, Voyager, and highly utilized GPS satellites worldwide, etc., while having taught space systems engineering to international graduate students.
Gabriel Ignetti (USA)	Ecomodernist Society of North America	For a United Nations Space Program Greetings on behalf of the Ecomodernist Society of North America. Our goal is to build a powerful movement in the defense of scientific progress and for the exponential advance of science in the service of humanity. We support urbanization powered by safe, energy dense atomic energy as the most ecologically efficient way for humans to save nature by separating from it. We fully support the movement of human civilization into space as the next step in that necessary decoupling project which will move mining and, ultimately, industry off planet. We fully recognize that our continued technological advancement cannot proceed indefinitely without our overcoming our resource constraints through tapping into the infinite abundance of space and it is imperative that we move immediately and with utmost vigor to take that next step in the evolution of human civilization. However, we need to face some facts. That next step will be HARD! It will be EXTREMELY hard. A recent NASA audit estimated the true cost of the Artemis program at about 93 BILLION dollars until 2025 and, as we well know, it doesn’t stop there. It NEVER stops and we are talking about.
Kelvin Ogba Dafiaghor (Nigeria)	Ogba Educational Clinic, CEO	Planet 2.0 For humanity’s continuous existence, there is a need for creating a spare home, planet 2.0. As the chief promoter of AI in Africa, I have discovered that the technology available at our disposal today, especially with the advent of reusable rockets by my hero Elon Musk (SpaceX). It is now possible for us to conquer the universe. Technology now makes mortality rates to be low, setting us on course to defeating Death as Aging has already been declared a disease by the World Health Organization (WHO). There’s now the possibility of people living for way longer and this will further compound an already existing rift for land, water, and natural resources. If not checked may lead to a 3rd World War which may involve the use of nuclear weapons that would eventually destroy us. The space economy is estimated to be worth 1 trillion by 2030 and lots of employment would be created as a result of exploring space. It would be very wise for the UN to support this as the 18th SDG. The desire of OGBA EDUCATIONAL CLINIC is to see that young Africans are able to explore this and become gainfully employed and better their life.
Boris Petrovic (Serbia)	ExoTesla, Founder	Noospheric cosmo-planetary civilization development We highlight that Space exploration goes beyond physical boundaries and advocate for the recognition of the Noosphere Paradigm. The Noosphere, proposed by Teilhard de Chardin, represents human thought and collective consciousness and offers possibilities for scientific discovery, communication with extraterrestrial beings, and preservation of extraterrestrial ecosystems. Through this understanding, meaningful communication with extraterrestrial beings becomes possible, transcending language and cultural barriers. The limitations of science in understanding non-physical phenomena are acknowledged, and the significance of the Noosphere\'s energy-information field is emphasized. We emphasize the importance of recognizing and protecting extraterrestrial ecosystems, extending the same respect as terrestrial biospheres. We argue that exploring non-physical phenomena and energetics are crucial to tap into new energy sources, knowledge, and innovation. The Noosphere Paradigm offers opportunities for cosmo-planetary integration, thereby expanding our reach into outer space and transcending the entropic state of civilization.
Guy Pignolet (La Reunion)	La Reunion Island Space Agency	Gaia is Pregnant Our access to outer space and the entire Solar System is as important in the evolution of mankind and the evolution of life as the invention of agriculture ten thousand years ago, and the changes are happening not over thousands of years but just over two or three generations. Today, the situation of our planet compares with the situation of the chicken in the egg after twenty days of incubation : no more room and no more food, this is the end ! And then as the chick starts agitating, the hard diamond on the beak opens the shell towards an entirely new life ! . . . The current various crises of population, energy and resources we see on our Blue Planet look like the contractions a pregnant woman experiences before giving birth. If we consider that Gaia and its biosphere are a living being of higher order that we are a part of, just as our own cells are part of ourselves, we may imagine that together with Gaia we are the midwives of our own birth into the Solar System. In the near future, we shall see a space renaissance and we shall manufacture the children of Gaia, the artificial planets of the High Frontier, living of the materials of the asteroids and the energy of the Sun.
Steve Durst (USA)	Space Age Publishing Company	Egalitarian Considerations for Cislunar Development
Emeline Paat-Dahlstrom (New Zealand)	SpaceBase	Space for All - Catalysing space ecosystems and industries for the rest of the world Space offers not only a frontier for exploration and discovery, but also a source of solutions and opportunities for the most pressing challenges and needs of humanity, such as climate change, food security, and energy sustainability. Thanks to exponential technologies, access to space has become more affordable and accessible, enabling startups and innovators to compete with space agencies and big aerospace companies. However, there is still a technological divide between space faring nations and the rest of the world, which limits the potential of space for all. To bridge this gap and ensure that no one is left behind in the space economy, we need to work together as space enablers around the world. We need to create the opportunities and educate the rest of the world about the benefits of space. We need to create the pathways and build the space ecosystems that can support an abundant future in space for all of humanity. The establishment of an 18th UN SDG on “Space for All” is an important step towards this vision.