We need early warning systems, technologies to deflect an asteroid - and we need political preparedness as well. It needs to be clear who is to decide what, who launches the rockets, who presents which bills to its citizens. This is a planetary decision. We need to do this all together. Or it will not happen.

You see the Earth as a bright blue and white Christmas tree ornament in the black sky. It's so small and so fragile - you realize that on that small spot is everything that means everything to you; all of history and art and death and birth and love.

An asteroid can literally destroy 80 or 90 percent of the species that are alive on Earth. These are big events. I mean, this is called extinction.

We can both prevent asteroid impacts and address climate change. It's not either-or.

We not only need to train people, we also need to develop deflection technologies.

I am interested in climate change and other topics too. But this thing is so huge, in the worst case we are talking about the end of our civilization.

Journalists often put things into either-or scenarios.