I really enjoyed reading this article. Thank you for that. On my side, I think the two are quite complementary and shouldn't necessarily exclude one another. So far, space innovation has greatly benefited Earth (telecommunications, materials, medicine).
It would be interesting to see how, even with advanced technologies, we could avoid disturbing the Antarctic environment (pollution, habitat degradation). Even though Antarctica is protected by an international treaty, adding a new dimension of colonization would likely spark debates about resource exploitation and national interests, which could turn a peaceful area into a zone of tension.
But it’s very thought-provoking, I had never really considered this perspective before. Thanks for these insights :)