---
title: "Professor: Terraforming a New Home Planet Would Be Dangerous"
description: "While the idea of building a space colony or terraforming a new planet for humanity to colonize sounds intriguing, it's not a sustainable goal."
date: "2019-11-25"
modified: "2019-11-25"
authors:
  - name: "Dan Robitzski"
    link: "https://futurism.com/authors/danrobitzski"
url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/terraforming-home-planet-terrible-idea"
categories:
  - "Off-World"
  - "Space"
tags:
  - "mars"
  - "space"
  - "space colony"
  - "terraforming"
  - "the digest"
---

# Professor: Terraforming a New Home Planet Would Be Dangerous

![While the idea of building a space colony or terraforming a new planet for humanity to colonize sounds intriguing, it's not a sustainable goal.](<https://futurism.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/terraforming-home-planet-terrible-idea.jpg>)
*\<em\>Image: NASA/Victor Tangermann\</em\>*

## Woah There

Jeff Bezos wants [orbital space colonies](<https://futurism.com/the-byte/jeff-bezos-ridiculous-space-habitats>). Elon Musk wants a [city on Mars](<https://futurism.com/the-byte/elon-musk-mars-city-1000-starship>).

These are ambitious goals for the off-world future of humanity — but they're also misguided, according to York University anthropologist Kathryn Denning. Denning [told *Space.com*](<https://www.space.com/planet-b-for-earth-not-good-space-exploration-reason.html>) that the idea of building a colony to which humanity could escape if the Earth becomes uninhabitable is not only an unrealistic idea, but a dangerous one as well.

## Plan A

Denning argues that focusing on our interplanetary escape ignores the very real issues here on Earth — and that new [discoveries in space](<https://futurism.com/the-byte/nasa-incredible-map-4000-exoplanets>) shouldn't always be framed in terms of whether they can sustain humanity. Specifically, she worries that the search to replace Earth with a "planet B" frames environmental demise as inevitable.

"For me, the question is balance," Denning told *Space.com*. "How can we be enthusiastic about the human capacity to explore while maintaining our focus on what needs to happen here on this planet?"

## Priorities

Besides, any off-world settlements would likely [depend on Earth](<https://futurism.com/the-byte/thousands-years-colonize-mars>) for support or resources for generations and generations, Denning argues.

"The reality is, what would be needed to create a sustainable human civilization in the solar system that could effectively be a backup for humanity? That, for every kind of foreseeable future for, say, the next hundred years, requires a functioning and sustainable civilization here," she told *Space.com*.

**READ MORE:** [Building a Planet B for Humanity Isn't a Good Enough Reason to Explore Space](<https://futurism.com/the-byte/thousands-years-colonize-mars>) \[*Space.com*\]

**More on space colonies:** *[Reality Check: It Would Take Thousands of Years to Colonize Mars](<https://futurism.com/the-byte/thousands-years-colonize-mars>)*

## Author
Dan Robitzki is a senior reporter for Futurism, where he likes to cover AI, tech ethics, and medicine. He spends his extra time fencing and streaming games from Los Angeles, California.

### Author social links  
[Twitter](<https://x.com/danrobitzski>)