Mark Perry: 18 spectacularly wrong apocalyptic predictions made around the time of the first Earth Day in 1970, expect more this year. But doom sells books and creates jobs for intrusive bureaucrats; it hastens the parting of earthlings from their resources in countless ways.  

Perry quotes Ronald Bailey’s prediction for Earth Day 60 in 2030: “… a much cleaner, and much richer future world, with less hunger and malnutrition, less poverty, and longer life expectancy, and with lower mineral and metal prices. But [Bailey] makes one final prediction: ‘There will be a disproportionately influential group of doomsters predicting that the future–and the present–never looked so bleak.’ In other words, the hysteria and apocalyptic predictions will continue, promoted by the ‘environmental grievance hustlers.’”