Grantham's greatest concern, though far from his only one, is that the world's farmers may not be able to produce enough food at affordable prices to feed the 9 billion or so people that are projected to inhabit the planet by mid-century or sooner.

Two nightmare scenarios -- a global scarcity of vital resources and the onset of extreme climate change -- are already beginning to converge and in the coming decades are likely to produce a tidal wave of unrest, rebellion, competition, and conflict.

Global growth will likely increase the demand for food, water, and energy by 35, 40, and 50 percent, respectively, by 2030. Add continued climate change to the equation, and the struggle for resources only becomes more intense.

George Will, like many other climate and science-deniers, is trapped in a preconceived vision of how the world works, and nothing will change his ossified convictions.

John Beddington, the U.K.'s chief science adviser, three years ago gave a speech in which he warned that population growth, climate change, and the world's rising demand for food, energy, and water constituted a "perfect storm" that could destabilize the world by 2030, or sooner.

If scientists get any media attention it's only because the science-deniers are ridiculing them. We live in the Era of Willful Ignorance. It is not only acceptable; it is fashionable to throw scientific caution to the wind.