Impacts of Asteroid Mining on Global Equity

Abstract

With rapid development in technology, asteroid mining may become a reality in the near future. This paper focuses on the possible impacts of asteroid mining on global equity. In order to evaluate the global equity situation, we developed a global equity assessment model with 5 superior indicators and 18 inferior indicators, in which analytic hierarchy process (AHP) and entropy weight method (EWM) are used to obtain the combined weight, and TOPSIS was used to calculate the National Strength Index (NSI). Then Global Equity Index (GEI) is obtained by measuring the dispersion degree of NSI. Hierarchical grouping. Finally, hierarchical cluster analysis is used to determine which countries are capable of asteroids mining, and the changes of NSI and then GEI are obtained through the mutual iteration of the value obtained from minerals and NSI. Our analysis of data from 30 European countries from 1995 to 2020 shows that unregulated asteroid mining increases global inequity, depending on factors such as the total value of minerals and the difficulty of mining. Our study provides theoretical support and policy recommendations for reducing potential inequities caused by asteroid mining.