This, if successful, might multiply the suffering of farmed animals by many times of the numbers of farmed animals on earth currently, spanned across the long-term future. Research is needed in areas like:
How likely alternative proteins like plant-based meat, cultivated meat, are to substitute all types of factory farming, including fish and insect farming.
The timelines of alternative proteins, particularly cultivated meat . We are particularly interested in its comparison with space colonization timelines, or in other words, whether alternative proteins will succeed before major efforts of space colonization.
Philosophical work on the ethics of space governance, in relation to nonhuman animals.
(note: I am actually writing a blogpost on factory farming in space/in the long-term future, stay tuned or write a message to me if you are interested)
Preventing factory farming from spreading beyond the earth
Space governance, moral circle expansion (yes I am also proposing a new area of interest.)
Early space advocates such as Gerard O’Neill and Thomas Heppenheimer had both included animal husbandry in their designs of space colonies. In our time, the European Space Agency, the Canadian Space Agency, the Beijing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics, and NASA, have all expressed interests or announced projects to employ fish or insect farming in space.
This, if successful, might multiply the suffering of farmed animals by many times of the numbers of farmed animals on earth currently, spanned across the long-term future. Research is needed in areas like:
Continuous tracking of the scientific research on transporting and raising animals in space colonies or other planets.
Tracking, or even conducting research on the feasibility of cultivating meat in space.
Tracking the development and implementation of AI in factory farming, which might enable unmanned factory farms and therefore make space factory farming more feasible. For instance, the aquaculture industry is hoping that AI can help them overcome major difficulties in offshore aquaculture. (This is part of my work)
How likely alternative proteins like plant-based meat, cultivated meat, are to substitute all types of factory farming, including fish and insect farming.
The timelines of alternative proteins, particularly cultivated meat . We are particularly interested in its comparison with space colonization timelines, or in other words, whether alternative proteins will succeed before major efforts of space colonization.
Philosophical work on the ethics of space governance, in relation to nonhuman animals.
(note: I am actually writing a blogpost on factory farming in space/in the long-term future, stay tuned or write a message to me if you are interested)
(update: I posted it: https://forum.effectivealtruism.org/posts/bfdc3MpsYEfDdvgtP/why-the-expected-numbers-of-farmed-animals-in-the-far-future)