Just as concern over the future of the planet is heating up, so is concern for the growing amount of junk in space. In both cases, experts blame humans.

Last week scientists issued an important report calling global warming “unequivocal,” or without doubt, warning of rising seas and climbing temperatures. This week space experts worried that there’s too much floating debris in space.

What debris?
For years there has been concern that junk—about 10,000 visible pieces of scrap like old satellites, metal nuts and bolts, even a Hasselblad camera lost by astronaut Michael Collins while on the Gemini 10 mission in 1966—would eventually crash into other junk, creating a domino effect of more debris. And that’s scary because individual pieces, visible ones measure four inches or more, can wield damage enough, some traveling over 17,000 miles per hour.

Concern hit a new high this week as space experts confirmed that a Chinese missile launched in January that intentionally blew an old weather satellite to smithereens yielded about 900 new pieces of floating debris.

The big fear is that debris, which isn’t yet removable, could interfere with functioning spacecraft or satellites in orbit, as well as the International Space Station. There are about 800 satellites in space, half of which belong to the United States. Almost 70 percent are used for communications purposes.

The big picture
China is not the only country to flex its military muscle by target practicing with objects in space. The United States and the former Soviet Union have as well. But it does raise eyebrows in the international community over China’s growing military force. And Congress has asked for funds to better protect satellites, damage to which could impact “our economy and security.” Oddly enough, China has been proactive in protecting space from debris and will host an international meeting addressing the issue in April.