That's been a theme of sorts here over the years. Politics is stupid, I often say, and politicians are vile. The current political class has been exposed to an unusual degree, so I hear similar things being said ever more often by ever more people.

There are many ways to approach and understand the foolishness of a political approach to life. Consider this:

The professor links climate change, resource abundance, agricultural productivity, and water management with a cataclysmic event situated 20 years in the future.

It doesn’t take a scientist to tell you that more people will create more demand for water, energy, food, and planning. It doesn’t take a scientist to tell you that if you fail to make plans for the future, you will likely face some sort of problem. So far, so not rocket science, and not applied population biology.

But what sort of planning is needed to cope with life in 2030? Why, at this point in humanity’s history is the provision of water, energy, and food so difficult and dangerous? We’re better at creating all of these things than at any point in the past. . .

For them, human progress of this kind is ‘unsustainable’. He is concerned that 8 billion people will be unable to produce the water, energy and food they need. But might it not be possible that 8 billion people are better at meeting their needs than 6 billion? After all, the industrial revolution was not a response to the needs of a growing population, but was made possible by it. Have you ever tried building your own iPod, powered by your own handmade generator, in a house you built yourself, whilst growing your own food, fed with water from a well that you sunk yourself?

There is an attempt being made to ground politics in the ethics not merely of ’sustainability’, but the harsh reality of mere subsistence. Accordingly, this diminishes the potential of politics, and our expectations of it. We are being asked to be thankful for every moment of heat, light, food, and warmth, rather than demanding of more, better, faster, higher. This is because politicians cannot conceive of any other notion of progress than mere survival. Their horizons are so low, and imaginations so limited, that they cannot conceive of attempting to organise public life around the possibility of a better future.

It is this pessimistic outlook within the political establishment that has misconceived human progress and how it is achieved. Paradoxically, it is scientists such as Beddington who are engaged to give their politics the appearance of legitimacy. But this is because Beddington’s science is expedient to their political aims, not because Beddington’s science can produce a robust analysis of the future, such that he can tell you what the year 2030 will look like if you haven’t listened to him. ‘Applied population biology’ is the science of the day because it is the most convenient to the politics of the day, just as Kennedy’s lunar project made heroes out of rocket scientists. But at least rocket scientists looked upwards, and their project broke boundaries. Beddington’s science is expedient because it allows politicians to set boundaries.

IMV the problem for the political class is that prosperity and progress for society means ever less interest in politics. They need crises and fear in order to herd people about like cattle. If there's no crisis they'll fake one, or make one, start a foreign war, foment civil war, take a moon shot, whatever. Peace and prosperity mean unemployment and redundancy for politicians.

The sad part to my mind is that so many scientists have gone over to the dark side along with the politicians and journalists. I understand their self-interested motivations, and the difficulties they must face in the degraded institutions where they work that went over to the dark side decades ago, but I expect better from them. Their crime is similar to the crooked cops, pedophile priests, and others who betray public trust.

Let them do real work to develop the materials, methods and plans that will contribute to real progress rather than quailing in fear at the prospect of a future in which humanity becomes ever better at the business of living. Population growth will happen. Deal with it.