"No matter how advanced our civilization here on Earth becomes, there's a sobering fact we have no choice but to reckon with: Earth's resources are finite. That not only includes the resources we typically think of, like minerals, clean water, and breathable air, but also something even more fundamental and restrictive: land area. No matter how thoroughly we develop, there's only a finite amount of land area to even potentially inhabit on our planet."
"or floating atop the oceans, the fact is we're living on a planet with a finite area and a finite volume, fundamentally limiting our ability to expand. Even if we develop floating cities, the finite surface area of planet Earth ensures that, beyond a certain point, we'll need to leave our home planet if we want our civilization to continue to grow."
Earth's resources are finite, including minerals, clean water, breathable air, and critically, land area. The finite surface area and volume of the planet fundamentally limit how much civilization can expand, even with stacked, subterranean, or floating cities. Beyond a certain point of development, continued growth will require leaving Earth. No currently known world beyond Earth shows signs of life or being already habitable for humans. Transforming an uninhabitable world into one suitable for humans — terraforming — appears necessary. Mars presents advantages such as existing water and greater mass, but the Moon may be a closer, potentially better option.
Read at Big Think
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