Evangelical environmentalists and social engineers have made headlines for years predicting that we will run out of resources and destroy the world. These predictions have been mostly wrong. But it is important that these groups keep up their alarmist pressure.
Predicting the end of the world is nothing new. In the year 250, Cyprian wrote: 'The world is getting old. The rainfall and sun's warmth are both diminishing and metals are nearly exhausted.' In 1014, Archbishop Wulfstan claimed: 'The world is in a rush and is getting closer to its end.'
Scholar Thomas Malthus predicted that population would outstrip food production. Wrong. In the US, food production has risen more than 700 per cent in 50 years. Production in developing countries has tripled in under 50 years. It is true that the world's population has doubled in 45 years, but it will reach a plateau and even fall as freedom and prosperity grows.
Remember the Club of Rome, which in 1972 predicted that gold would be exhausted in 1981, tin by 1987, petroleum by 1992 and copper, lead and natural gas by 1993? In the 1970s, after reading George Orwell's 1984 I thought Big Brother governments and the great corporations would use the power of technology to control people. I was wrong. Today, it is the people who are watching Big Brother - on their televisions.
Through the internet, faxes and mobile phones people find out what is happening in the world. The cleansing air of information forces change and exposes corrupt business people and politicians. All this is healthy. More important, we learn from mistakes.
The Sars outbreak on the mainland was initially covered up - but cover-ups do not work any more. The World Health Organisation did its job and will be prepared next time. So will governments and the public.
But back to my earlier statement that it is good for alarmist groups to grab the headlines with extreme predictions. Why did I say that? Because by their actions, they force politicians, the media, businesses and the public to pay attention. These predictions might come true if nothing was done.