By: Stephanie Blair
Editor-in-Chief

So, space is great and all, but no one is going to make it to the TRAPPIST-1 planets in our lifetime. Not only do we not have the technology, but the distance makes it physically impossible. Maybe it’s my deep-rooted pessimism or my penny-pinching upbringing, but I think that maintaining this planet is more important than trying to reach another planet, let alone another solar system.

I’m all for excitement and hope, but shouldn’t it be placed in something tangible? Get excited about humanity reaching Mars, okay. Dream about going to the moon on a SpaceX tourism trip, sure. But spending time being excited about the possibility of reaching TRAPPIST-1 is on par with panicking about the sun’s inevitable collapse that will result in the earth being engulfed in flames.

It’s just not a practical use of energy; it’s not happening in this lifetime.

So, what is a practical use of energy? Going super Al Gore on your friends.

Work to lower your personal carbon footprint: grow plants, recycle, go vegetarian. Heck, join the Green Team on campus!

There are so many ways to help slow, and eventually reverse, climate change, which would negate the necessity of moving humanity to another planet.

Well, at least until it comes time for the great sun collapse.

That’s not to say we shouldn’t work towards reaching other planets for the sake of science: I’m all for NASA checking out Mars. The keyword here is necessity; humanity shouldn’t be seeking ways to other planets because we have to, or worse, because people just didn’t want to clean up their own mess.

If a reversal remedy for cavities was found, making drilling and filling obsolete, wouldn’t you rather keep your original teeth? Think about the shift in attitude that would surround the dentist: no more dread and shame, just a nonchalant partnership to repair what’s been damaged. Why not work towards this with our planet? Especially when it’s so easy and there’s so much work to be done. Come on, y’all.

I’m glad that the TRAPPIST-1 discovery has provided some with a spot of excitement in these heavy, politically charged times, but it’s too little, too soon to reasonably hold as hope.

Contact the author at sblair13@wou.edu