We have to colonize space sooner or later.
We don't really have a choice if we want to survive.
Earth will be destroyed when the sun turns into a red giant.
And there are all kinds of other catastrophic events that could wipe out our civilization.
The sun is a medium aged star.
Humans have had their run on planet earth.
Evolution will get us faster than the sun turning into a red giant.
We're a very young species. Our run has barely begun, and we'll likely be the first off this rock. Yes, we will evolve faster than the sun will, but why restrict it to one planet or star system? Our successors will remember us this time, unlike all other species that we are aware of.
Hmm... Humans have been around in the current form for more than 2 million years.
So I wouldn't call our species young.
Plus we seem to be intent on destroying ourselves (and the planet).
With all the radiation we have unleashed, some mutation (and evolution) must already be taking root.
Estimates vary, but modern humans appear to be younger than that. Hominids, definitely. But even given that, Crocodilians are over 65 million years old, and still quite successful.
to address the rest, I think it's not so much that we're intent on destroying the planet (or at least it's ecosphere), as that we make mistakes. We solve a problem, crudely, and that creates more problems, which we also solve, with greater and greater degrees of accuracy, and in so doing create new ones and so on. If we can get it together enough on the ecosphere, we'll do alright. But we still have the problem of being ABLE to destroy most life on the surface of the planet. Which, in turn, illustrates the value of space exploration.
Now don't get me wrong, I am NOT in favor of tax supported space exploration. I believe that a far less egregious use of the ill gotten gains of the taxman than starting and maintaining pointless wars with no end, but it's still attained by theft. But companies like SpaceX and Virgin Galactic? They're doing it right, monetarily. Selling the risk to those WILLING to invest, and developing viable strategies. I think a mars colonization project could be funded in that very manner, and I KNOW that it's a valuable exercise. Colonizing mars is NOT trivial, but it is well within our technological capabilities, and it is a far better platform for further exploration and exploitation of space, for multiple reasons. (I can go into those at length should anyone be interested, but in the interim I recommend the book "The Case for Mars" by Dr. Robert Zubrin. While I disagree with some of his plan, I don't disagree with much of it. It's a very good read.
I can't argue with the last sentence, so I won't
