Privatising the moon

I only just found out about a new pamphlet that the Adam Smith Institute have published. Space Invaders, by Rebecca Lowe, argues that space tourism will happen any moment now, and that this will lead into the colonisation of the moon and the nearby planets. This, in turn, raises a burning issue:

One topic in urgent need of such treatment is property rights.Alongside growing debate about past and future property-related concerns here on Earth, questions about the possibility and governance of space ownership are becoming ever more pressing. How should it be, for instance, that individuals, groups, firms, and nations make claims to space land? What kinds of claims are morally justifiable? If you want a piece of the moon — to experiment on, build on, have fun on, or as an investment — what should you need to do to acquire it? And what should you have to do to keep hold of it? Do these claims require backing up in law? Who should determine the content of such law? Who should enforce it? What is the most local or individualistic level these matters can be delegated to? These questions are familiar from the long history of human beings dealing formally with matters of ownership. With regard to space land, we still have the chance, however — absent any unknown extra-terrestrial claimants! — to start pretty much from scratch.

Where to start with this? Actually, I don’t need to, because Arwa Mahdawi already wrote a column about this last month.

You can start there.