600 billion spent on space each year, while whales drown in plastic on Earth

 

Space has always sparked human imagination. Today, governments and private corporations are investing billions of dollars into projects connected with space exploration, rocket construction, orbital stations, and even missions to Mars.

Meanwhile, the oceans—once symbols of purity and the power of nature—are turning into dumping grounds for plastic. Increasingly, the media show images of dead whales with stomachs full of plastic bags, beaches covered not with sand but with bottles and waste, or fish whose bodies contain microplastics.

This raises an important question: in chasing dreams of conquering space, are we losing sight of our most basic responsibility—taking care of our own planet?

 

Table of Contents
1. Introduction
2. Where does the 600 billion figure come from?
3. The price of reaching for the stars
4. Earth – a planet in crisis
5. Hope in simple, natural solutions
6. Summary
7. FAQ

 

Where does the 600 billion figure come from?

It is estimated that the total value of global spending on the space sector—including space exploration, satellite technologies, scientific research, and commercial projects—already amounts to about 600 billion dollars a year. This figure covers both public funds and private investments by major technology giants. NASA, the European Space Agency, as well as companies like SpaceX and Blue Origin, compete with one another on projects ranging from building advanced satellites and crewed missions to the Moon, to futuristic plans for colonizing Mars.

It’s a staggering sum that shows humanity not only dreams of the stars but is also willing to pay a very high price for those dreams. The problem is that on Earth, the reality looks quite different. Beaches worldwide are drowning in plastic waste. In the stomachs of whales and sea turtles, researchers find plastic bags, bottles, and other trash we humans have carelessly discarded. It is estimated that up to 11 million tons of plastic enter the oceans every year—and the number is rising.

Faced with these facts, a natural question arises: have we got our priorities wrong?

 

The price of reaching for the stars

Spending on space isn’t just about dry numbers—behind the billions are projects that fire the imagination. NASA allocates more than 25 billion dollars annually to research programs, a significant portion of which goes to the Artemis program, aimed at returning humans to the Moon and preparing for a journey to Mars. The European Space Agency (ESA) also invests in research and satellite missions, spending about 7 billion euros annually. Meanwhile, private companies—such as Elon Musk’s SpaceX and Jeff Bezos’s Blue Origin—spend billions developing rocket technologies and space tourism intended to revolutionize access to outer space.

The scale of these investments is impressive, but the comparisons are even more striking. The cost of a single crewed mission to Mars is estimated at up to 100 billion dollars. In contrast, according to the UN Environment Programme (UNEP), implementing global solutions to drastically reduce plastic entering the oceans would require about 20 billion dollars annually. In other words, the price of one mission to the Red Planet could finance five years of intensive efforts to combat the plastic crisis here on Earth.

And yet, space wins the spotlight. Images of rockets soaring toward the stars, spectacular capsule landings, and visions of Martian colonies make headlines and fuel collective fascination. Meanwhile, the tragedy of the oceans unfolds quietly—far from the cameras. Dead whales washed ashore with stomachs full of plastic rarely become symbols as powerful as a Falcon 9 rocket launch.

And here lies the paradox: we invest fortunes in dreams of new worlds, while our own—the only one where we can truly live—is slowly drowning in trash.

 

Earth – a planet in crisis

Every year, between 8 and 11 million tons of plastic end up in the oceans. That’s the equivalent of dumping a full truckload of waste into the water every single minute. The scale is so overwhelming that scientists warn: if this continues, by mid-century there could be more plastic than fish in the seas—at least in terms of weight.

Plastic doesn’t disappear. Over time, it breaks down into smaller and smaller fragments—microplastics and nanoplastics—that spread everywhere. Today, they are detected in fish and seafood that end up on our plates. They’re found in drinking water, in table salt, and recent studies have even confirmed their presence in human blood and lungs. This means that the plastics once seen as symbols of convenience and progress are becoming part of the human body itself—with health consequences we don’t yet fully understand.

The most dramatic effects are seen in areas where ocean currents accumulate waste into massive clusters. The most famous example is the Great Pacific Garbage Patch, floating between California and Hawaii, covering an area five times larger than Poland. But similar patches also exist in the Atlantic and Indian Oceans. Along the coasts of Southeast Asian countries—where waste management infrastructure is weaker—beaches often resemble landfills, and local communities live surrounded by ever-present plastic.

 

Hope in simple, natural solutions

Faced with the overwhelming tide of plastic, it may seem that humanity is trapped by its own convenience. And yet, there are materials that have accompanied people for centuries and today can provide a real alternative to plastics. One of them is natural cork—a renewable, biodegradable, and fully eco-friendly raw material. It is harvested from the bark of the cork oak without cutting down the tree. What’s more, the bark grows back after a few years, which means cork production does not destroy forests but actually supports their survival.

When comparing cork with plastic, the differences are striking. Plastic takes hundreds of years to break down and never truly disappears—it only fragments into smaller and smaller particles that spread through the environment. Cork, on the other hand, is fully biodegradable, leaving no toxic residues behind. In terms of durability, the two materials can be comparable—cork is moisture-resistant, flexible, lightweight, and remarkably strong. But when it comes to environmental impact, cork’s advantage is undeniable.

That is why turning back to simple, natural solutions—such as cork—is not a step backward, but a wise move toward a sustainable future. In a world where whales are dying and seas are filled with plastic, such alternatives can serve not only as symbols but also as practical tools for change.

 

Summary

Humanity now spends around 600 billion dollars annually on space exploration and satellite technologies. It’s a figure that impresses and shows how far our ambitions reach. We want to discover new worlds, build bases on the Moon, and prepare for missions to Mars. Yet at the same time, on the only planet we truly have, a global tragedy is unfolding—the oceans are drowning in plastic, animals are dying with stomachs full of trash, and microplastics are seeping into our food, water, and even our blood.

The contrast is striking. For just a fraction of the cost of one Mars mission, we could significantly reduce the amount of plastic entering the environment. But in terms of publicity and media attention, space wins over the problems happening right beneath our feet.

This is why, alongside our grand dreams of the stars, we also need simple, practical actions here on Earth. The example of natural cork shows that solutions can be both ecological and functional—available here and now, without relying on artificial substitutes that pollute the environment.

Ultimately, the question we should ask ourselves is this: do we want to invest billions in dreams of life on other planets while our own slowly becomes uninhabitable? Perhaps it’s time to change perspective—because saving Earth is no less ambitious a challenge than a mission to Mars.

 

FAQ

1. How much is spent globally on space?
It is estimated that governments and private companies together invest around 600 billion dollars annually in the space sector. This includes scientific research, space missions, and satellite technology development.

2. Why is plastic in the oceans such a big problem?
Each year, between 8 and 11 million tons of plastic end up in the seas and oceans. This pollution threatens animals that swallow the waste and then breaks down into microplastics, entering the food chain and ultimately the human body.

3. Is microplastic dangerous to health?
Although research on the long-term impact of micro- and nanoplastics is still ongoing, we already know that these particles are found in human blood, lungs, and even placentas. This means they penetrate our bodies, and the potential consequences may include hormonal disruption, inflammation, and cardiovascular diseases.

4. How much would it cost to reduce plastic worldwide?
According to UNEP analyses, implementing effective plastic reduction programs would require about 20 billion dollars annually—a fraction of what is spent on space.

5. Can cork replace plastic?
Not in every application, but in many—yes. Natural cork works well as bottle closures, insulation material, interior design elements, or as an alternative for everyday accessories. Unlike plastic, it is fully biodegradable and leaves no toxic traces in the environment.