Bill Gates can single-handedly pay for a mission to Mars and have money left over for a new Maserati. (NASA/JPL-Caltech / Wikimedia Commons)

According to The World Economic Forum, the European Union, and countless others, the world's greatest problems are clean water, climate change, population growth, food crises and disease. Already, you, through the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, have shown interest in addressing many of these problems. Yet, a chain is only as strong as its weakest link: unless the world addresses all these problems, humanity can break down much like that chain. As one of the world’s richest and most influential people, you can make one of the greatest impacts in preventing disaster.

I advise you to use your money and influence to fund a manned mission to Mars. Nonprofit group Mars One puts the cost of a four-person mission to Mars at $6 billion, but even with a much higher estimate, you could still single-handedly pay for a mission and have money left over for a new Maserati.

Space research and development has one of the highest returns of investment, validating a manned mission to Mars as a good idea. Historically, space research and development has produced spin-offs in other industries such as: invisible braces, memory foam, ear thermometers, shoe insoles, long distance telecommunications, adjustable smoke detectors, safety grooving, water filters, anti-corrosion coating, cochlear implants, scratch-resistant eyeglass lenses, emulsified zero-valent iron, insulin pumps, lifeshears, charge-coupled devices, light-emitting diodes and infrared technology.

SEE ALSO: N.A.S.A. Discovers Mega Earth

A manned mission to Mars requires advanced research into all of the pressing problems on Earth. Research into air and water reuse, food growth and environmental sustainability is necessary for astronauts to survive the long journey to Mars and to survive once there. Better solar cells for the spaceship will result in better solar cells on Earth, thus aiding in preventing global warming. Additionally, a manned mission to Mars will move humanity a step closer in solving a population crises by making it an interstellar species. Lastly, the advanced technology needed will aid in energy efficiency research, asteroid impact deflection and space debris cleanup. The radiation studies necessary to guarantee the health safety of our astronauts will aid in saving the lives of cancer patients on Earth. 

Private funding will finally guarantee a manned mission to Mars, doing what space agencies funded by governments never could. We have yet to solve the problems of Earth on Earth, so let's try solving them on Mars.

Maybe, we will even find alien life.

Reach Contributor Kevin Cheberenchick here.