What role can a science-informed, carefully regulated approach to the development of Earth’s orbit have in protecting and nourishing the planet?
With more nations developing space programs and more billionaires rushing to join Elon Musk in the industrialization of Earth’s orbit, we suddenly face the prospect of a ‘tragedy of the commons’ in outer space. There are also serious implications for Earth, including its climate system.
Join us for an enlightening conversation with Moriba Jah on the health of the Earth-space environment – Gaia – and what we can do to save it.
Moriba Jah is a powerful, inspirational, interdisciplinary speaker who reaches a global audience. He is a Professor of Aerospace Engineering and Engineering Mechanics at The University of Texas. Jah describes himself as a celestial steward with a mission to preserve a safe, prosperous and sustainable Earth-space environment. As an astrophysicist, TED Fellow and National Geographic Explorer, Jah publicly promotes the safe, peaceful and sustainable use of outer space and the need for a global, accessible and transparent space traffic management system.
Space is limited. Please register by Sunday, February 2.
Date: Tuesday, February 4, from 5:00 - 6:30 pm
Venue: BC Hydro Theatre, Centre for Interactive Research on Sustainability
Location: 2260 West Mall (Open on Google Maps)
This event is part of UBC's Climate Emergency Week 2025, which seeks to convene and energize communities of climate action at UBC. Join events, workshops, and activities, and take collective action for justice, people, and the planet. Learn more at climateemergency.ubc.ca.
GUESt speaker
Moriba Jah
Moriba Jah is a Professor of Aerospace Engineering and Engineering Mechanics at The University of Texas where he is the holder of the Mrs. Pearlie Dashiell Henderson Centennial Fellowship in Engineering. He is the director of the Decision Intelligence group, a group within the Oden Institute for Computational Engineering and Sciences and the Lead for the Space Security and Safety Program at the Robert Strauss Center for International Security and Law. Moriba is also a Fellow of multiple organizations: TED, American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA), American Astronautical Society (AAS), International Association for the Advancement of Space Safety (IAASS), Royal Astronomical Society (RAS), and the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL). He has served on the US delegation to the United Nations Committee On Peaceful Uses of Outer Space (UN-COPUOS), is an elected Academician of the International Academy of Astronautics (IAA), and has testified to Congress on his work as related to Space Situational Awareness and Space Traffic Management.
Moderator
Aaron Boley
Aaron Boley is an associate professor in the Department of Physics and Astronomy at the University of British Columbia. His research explores a wide range of topics, including planetary dynamics, astrophysical discs, meteoritics, space sustainability and security, and space policy. Before joining the faculty at UBC, Boley was a NASA Sagan Postdoctoral Fellow at the University of Florida and a postdoctoral researcher at the Institute for Theoretical Physics at the University of Zurich. Along with Michael Byers, Boley is the Co-Director of the Outer Space Institute and co-author of Who Owns Outer Space? International Law, Astrophysics, and the Sustainable Development of Space, which won the 2023 Donner Prize for the best public policy book written by a Canadian and received the 2024 certificate of merit from the American Society of International Law. Boley is also the Policy Hub Co-Lead at the International Astronomical Union’s Centre for the Protection of the Dark and Quiet Sky.