Editing The Ethics of Terraforming and Planetary Rights (section)

== <span style="color: #FFFFFF;">Understanding</span> ==
Terraforming ethics is understood through '''Rights''' and '''Humility'''.

'''1. The "Life First" Principle (Microbial Rights)''':
"What if Mars is not dead?"
* (See Article 686). "We" "Do Not" yet "Know" if "Mars" "Has" "Life" (Microbial, Subsurface).
* **"Terraforming"** a "Living Mars" would **"Destroy"** its "Biosphere" (however "Primitive").
* "Ethically," we "Must" **"Search for Life First"** — and "If Found," we "Must" **"Stop."**
* "The First Rule" of "Planetary Engineering" is **"Do No Harm."**

'''2. The "Future Humans" Problem (Intergenerational Justice)''':
"Mars doesn't belong to us."
* (See Article 665). **Future Martian colonists** "Did Not" "Choose" to "Live" on a "Terraformed Mars."
* By "Transforming" "Mars," we "Remove" **"Their Option"** to "Live" on the "Original Planet."
* This is the "Same Argument" as **"Environmental Ethics"** (see Article 228) applied to "Other Worlds."
* "Stewardship" is **"Patience."**

'''3. The "Wilderness" Value (Intrinsic Worth)''':
"Even the void has value."
* (See Article 665). **Naess** and **Deep Ecology** "Argue" that "Nature" has "Value" "Independent" of "Human Use."
* "Mars" as a **"Pristine Wilderness"** "Has" "Scientific Value" (Geology, Astrochemistry) "That Would Be" **"Destroyed"** by "Terraforming."
* "The 'Red Mars'" "May Be" "More Valuable" than "The 'Green Mars.'"
* "Wildness" is **"Irreplaceable."**

'''The 'Outer Space Treaty' Limitation (1967)'''': "The Treaty" "Prohibits" "National Claims" to "Celestial Bodies" but is "Silent" on **"Environmental Modification."** It proved that "The Legal Framework" for "Planetary Ethics" is **"Decades Behind"** the "Technology." "We Need" **"New Laws."**
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