McKay advocates a moderately biocentric position in the ethics of terraforming, arguing that we must thoroughly explore a planet such as Mars first to discover whether there is any microbial life before taking first steps toward terraforming, and that if indigenous alien life is found in an obscure niche or dormant on Mars, we should remove all Earth life and alter Mars to support the global spread of this alien life on Mars.
McKay supports a moderate biocentric position in terraforming ethics, arguing that we must thoroughly investigate planets such as Mars to discover any microbial life before taking steps toward terraforming. If indigenous alien life is found on Mars, McKay suggests removing Earth life and altering the planet to support its global spread.