Is there any reality to the dreams of billionaires to set up civilizations on planets outside Earth? Nope.
Kelly and Zach Weinersmith started out to write a book about how to create a civilization on another planet, and after meticulous research came to the conclusion that any attempt at this within multiple generations is not even within the realm of possibility.
Sure billionaires are lifting rockets, but no one is spending a fraction of the money needed to research closed-loop ecologies which would be required to survive on Mars. That whole argument that we have to find a way to spread humanity to the stars before the climate comes for us, even if we go worst case on the climate on Earth it’s far more liveable than space. A 2C warmer Earth with mega-storms and the worst coastal flooding imaginable, would still be a messy room compared to the habitability of Mars, which would be like a toxic waste dump.
Next time you hear a tech billionaire talk about moving to space, realize that they’re stroking their own ego not talking about anything viable. They’re simply pushing a Libertarian dream, not a viable path towards saving humanity.
We should be spending our money on Earth to improve the lives of those that currently exist.