Maybe it will take going to outer space for renewable energy naysayers to realise the devastating impact the human race has on planet Earth.

Just this week, the United Kingdom parliament became the first in the world to pass a motion declaring an environment and climate emergency, amid mounting pressure for the region to adopt a net zero emission target before 2050.

The news follows a recent United Nations report that found seven major countries, including the United States, were well behind achieving the carbon neutral pledges they made in Paris three years ago.

The UN noted that countries were not doing enough to curb their emissions.

But perhaps commercial space travel is what we need to push people to tackle climate change more seriously?

NASA astronaut Terry Virts has spoken publicly about the perspective-altering effects of viewing Earth from above, in particular the increased awareness it brings of humankinds environmental mistakes.

Virts has spent 200 days in space at the International Space Station (ISS) and has taken more photos of Earth from space than any other astronaut.

People ask astronauts 'what's your favourite planet?' and it's not Mars or Jupiter, it's Earth, Virts said upon returning from space.

We have everything we need to survive right here. In saying that, when I tried to film Beijing I never could because all you could see was smog. And in the Amazon you can see deforestation. So there's some man-made environmental messes you can see from space. But 99 percent of the planet really does look beautiful, it's not all doom and gloom.

While 99 percent of the planet may look beautiful right now, how long will it take for emissions from fossil fuels to produce enough smog to obscure the majority of Earth from view?

And by the time commercial space travel becomes available for the likes of you and I, will we be able to capture that perfect holiday snap of Earth that Virts fondly speaks of?

Commercial Space Travel: Coming to An Airport Near You

There are few people who can say theyve been to outer space. And even fewer that can claim to have been among the first in the world to fly on a commercial spacecraft.

But in February this year Beth Moses, chief astronaut instructor at Virgin Galactic, became a household name for doing just that. Years of hard work, dedication and self belief finally paid off and Moses became the first woman to travel to space on a commercial spacecraft.

It was the first time that Moses, an aerospace engineer who had previously worked at NASA, had visited space. The purpose of Moses flight was to ensure she could fully prepare Virgin Galactics future customers, of which there are hundreds in queue, for the journey to view earth from above.

Having Beth fly in the cabin today, starting to ensure that our customer journey is as flawless as the spaceship itself, brings a huge sense of anticipation and excitement to all of us here who are looking forward to experiencing space for ourselves, Virgin Galactic founder Sir Richard Branson said at the time.

Beth Moses celebrating after the flight with the two pilots, Dave Mackay (L) and Mike Sooch Masucci (C), as well as Virgin Galactic CEO George Whitesides (R)

Mosess mission for the flight was clear; experience the flight fully to ensure there were no surprises following the three-day briefing each customer receives pre-flight, so these everyday people could focus on the life-altering view around them.

Taking Risks To Shape Perspective

Moses admits the criticism the Virgin Galactic team received for daring to dream big was unexpected.

Its an experience Moses and I share, with Power Ledger facing its own critics for daring to reimagine the financial models surrounding green energy and accelerate the takeup of renewables.

I blindly assumed the new space community would be as respected as NASA. But within my professional community people laugh about human commercial space travel, Moses told me.

Its true doubters have not been shy about sharing their views publicly.

Australian astronaut Andy Thomas called Sir Richard Bransons quest to take passengers into orbit a dead-end and dangerous technology.

And following a fatal crash in 2014, rocket propulsion expert Carolynne Campbell-Knight was quoted stating Virgin Galactic should go away and do something they might be good at like selling mobile phones. They should stay out of the space business.

Despite the mounting pressure to give up, Moses and the team at Virgin Galactic pushed on, paying close attention to their mistakes and turning them into lessons.

And slowly, some space experts started to change their tune.

In December 2018, NASA selected its own technology experiments to fly on Virgin Galactics SpaceShipTwo commercial research flight. At the time, Christopher Baker of NASAs Armstrong Flight Research Center said that regular commercial access to space will change how NASA approaches technology development, by allowing them to invest in early research validation.

This year, in its fifth supersonic-powered test flight, Virgin Galactic reached space for the second time in 10 weeks. Spaceship VSS Unity, the spacecraft Moses was on, also flew higher and faster than ever before.

Moses herself could feel the tides changing when some of the NASA colleagues, who had laughed off her decision to join the human space startup, began asking to work with Virgin Galactic.

All of a sudden they were saying wow, they did it. Now they want to come work here and they want a job, Moses says.

I like our model as it can bring it (space travel) to more people.

Author and National Geographic Society chairman, Jean Case describes the bold risk-taking behind some of the greatest discoveries and innovations humanity has made in her book Be Fearless. Case specifically calls out space travel as being able to alter culture, geography and political systems.

Big bets are the engine for countless other innovations. They can change a culture, a geography, a mindset and a political system, Case writes in chapter six.

Moses agrees; Space travel can redefine geography and political systems, it encourages a mindset that isnt regional and there is a human and emotional magic to that, she says.

We have to graduate to a sense of planetary unity that we dont have as humans.

Using A Planetary View to Fix Our Problems

Yale has already recognised the power of an outer space perspective to address Earths pressing climate issues.

Yale OpenLabs energy academy, which believes that achieving sustainability requires a collective planetary consciousness, has created an open and globally collaborative space dedicated to promoting planetary sustainability.

The program is currently in proof-of-concept phase, but promises to build an unconventional classroom and teach visually stunning journeys where natural resources are studied from the big perspective.

Our climate and energy challenge requires a population that understands the close and delicate connections between macro and micro scales; from the solar system down to cellular and molecular structures, the project explains.

Yales vision? To empower individuals and communities to re-envision the global energy system, to generate planetary consciousness and foster higher awareness in our delicate relationship to Earth.

A Vision Thats Out of This World

Moses is hopeful that the Virgin Galactic team can replicate their successes and operate from any airport, and admits she is an eternal and self-proclaimed biased optimist.

Were asking questions that have never been asked, Moses says.

I think it is time we all asked ourselves questions that have never been asked.

As that old adage goes; its better to have an impossible dream than no dream at all - if not for commercial aspirations, then at least for the sake of planet Earth.

Maybe it will take going to outer space for renewable energy naysayers to realise the devastating impacts of climate change.

But hopefully it wont take a ticket to the moon to appreciate Earth more and realise the importance of preserving its future.

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