Futuristic Economic and Social Council

Topic Summary

As Earth approaches environmental tipping points, the global population is expected to surpass 10 billion people, and the once distant idea of colonizing space now becomes a reality. With multinational corporations and governments trying to establish lunar and Martian settlements, the world in 2070 faces a new reality – one of building and regulating the systems that will sustain life beyond Earth.

Delegates in the United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs (UNOOSA) will grapple with the urgent and complex task of governing humanity’s expansion beyond Earth. They will also explore how nations and corporations develop sustainable off-world infrastructure -- such as power systems, transportation networks, and digital communications -- while also managing the legal, environmental, humanitarian, and ethical implications of space colonization.

This committee will also dive into the growing issue of interplanetary inequality, including which nations and actors have access to space development and who benefits from emerging space-based economies. Topics such as the privatization of asteroid mining, the use of outer space as a site for carbon offloading, and the establishment of a universal legal framework for space will all shape the flow of committee.

Ultimately, this committee will investigate critical debates around sovereignty, resource control, and ethical governance in extraterrestrial settings. What role should the United Nations play in regulating space settlements and infrastructure? Should Martian or lunar cities be treated as independent entities, corporate zones, or extensions of Earth-bound governments? And how can we prevent the repetition of Earth's colonial injustices on a new frontier?