People Fixing the World - How to move the Earth

Using lasers or asteroids to move our planet away from the sun may sound extreme, but a few scientists have come up with plans to do just that.

The sun’s power is slowly increasing. Over the next billion years or so, the extra energy is going to boil off the oceans and make the earth inhospitable.

Given the timescales involved, you might think this is someone else’s problem. But such is the human enthusiasm for problem-solving, potential solutions have been found - from shooting asteroids past the Earth to creating a gigantic solar sail.

We meet the scientists who are trying to figure out how to save the planet from the sun.

Presenter: Kat Hawkins
Reporter: Tom Colls

Image: The Earth in space. Credit: Getty Images

Published on Tuesday, 31st December 2019.

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