Billionaire tech wizard Elon Musk has been vocal about his plans to set up a self-sustaining human colony on Mars. But the founder of Tesla and SpaceX feels that “religious extremism” and World War 3 could lead to a strong anti-technology movement, and it would push technology back by decades. In an interview with GQ, he said a World War 3 could begin anytime and we must get to the red planet before the global war begins.
World War 3 could be far worse than anything in the past
Musk fears events on Earth could not only halt technological progress, but also reverse it. In 1912, people proclaimed a new age of peace and prosperity. Just a couple of years the first World War took place. Then we saw the second World War, followed by the Cold War. So, we cannot discount the possibility of World War 3, he told GQ. If it happens, it will be far worse than anything we have seen before.
Various countries may use nuclear weapons, which might prompt people across the globe to launch a powerful movement against technology. Earlier, Elon Musk warned that artificial intelligence could wipe humanity off the Earth. Musk’s SpaceX, which is developing reusable rockets, aims to take humans to the red planet before 2030, years before NASA.
A Martian colony would ensure the survival of humanity
In January 2015, Musk said during a Reddit AMA session that colonizing Mars was necessary for the survival of the human species. He estimates that at least 100 metric tons of equipment and materials need to be carried to the red planet before a human colony could be set up. The Tesla founder told GQ that he would unveil his detailed plan to colonize Mars in early 2016. He added that the plan may sound “pretty crazy” but it’s “really big.”
A human colony on Mars would ensure that the human species survive even if a nuclear war or natural calamity destroys life on Earth. Musk’s SpaceX currently provides cargo resupply missions to the International Space Station (ISS).
