You know what? They’re not going to terraform Mars.
I predict some idiot is going to say it’d be some form of man-made pollution and that we should regard the current Martian state as somehow sacrosanct and unspoiled.
Then a whole chorus is going to start about how Man and His Ways are a kind of infection and we shouldn’t Victimize Mars.
And Elon Musk’s dreams will be completely spoiled.
I think they might also pull this type of idiocy when mining other planets and asteroids becomes really feasible.
Years ago when Al Gore was running I quipped to a guy how all of our cars and trucks are ruining things. “Even Mar’s ice caps are melting!”
He replied “Oh man - it’s worse than I thought. I really hope Gore gets elected.”
I hear the sarcasm, but it would be pointless to try anyway. Mars doesn't have a molten core, so it doesn't have a magnetic field strong enough to protect an earth-like atmosphere. The solar wind will blow it away, just as it did when Mars cooled.
Without the pressure of an atmosphere, there can't be oceans, rivers, and lakes.
If man is ever going to inhabit that dead rock, we'll have to figure out a way to reheat the core. I don't doubt that we will, but it'll probably be a couple hundred years from now.
I predict that anyone who has the ability to terraform Mars can do whatever they want and if anyone complains hard enough they might end up receiving a hypersonic rock salute. It's pre-19th century out there in the Solar System right now.
You’re right. They will designate the entire planet of Mars an Inter-Galactic National Park that must be left “pristine” and untouched by man. Eventually they will launch a mission to remove all of our probes and landers and sweep out all the tracks from the rovers.