Now, at the conclusion of the first two decades of the 21st century, we can begin to compare our new era with that of the recent past. And so far we have been blessed with a continuation of the previous century’s rapid improvements in material wealth, health sciences, and living standards, again due to the ongoing march of capitalism and free trade. Perhaps even more significantly, we have largely been spared the horrors of mass-casualty conflict. There have been wars and terrible acts of terrorist violence over the past 20 years, to be sure, but nothing to compare with previous global conflicts. And for this, once more, we must thank economic liberalization, globalization, and political pragmatism.

It was in 1996 that New York Times columnist Thomas Friedman first advanced his famous Golden Arches Theory of Conflict Prevention by observing that “no two countries that both have a McDonald’s have ever fought a war against each other.” Sadly, the Golden Arches Theory was overturned several years later by the Kargil War between India and Pakistan, and then by Russia in 2008 during its war with Georgia and again in 2014 when Russia invaded Ukraine. But the broader point still stands. Rising living standards, access to foreign capital, and integration with the global economy all have a prophylactic effect on war; sovereign-nation conflicts and economic openness are in many ways antithetical concepts.

Why? Because the cost of going to war is much higher for the countries involved if they have to rely on each other for economic growth and prosperity; war is also less likely between countries that share similar values, such as a welcome attitude towards fast food and popular western culture. The expansion of capitalism is not only the foundation of our unprecedented levels of global prosperity, but is also behind the blessed lack of global conflict during the past two decades. We are now living in the best of all possible worlds – prosperity without violence. We have become both rich and peaceful.

It is thus beyond curious that so many noisy climate crisis activists and global campaigners now seem intent on reviving the terminology and habits of global war in their efforts to promote the concept of a climate emergency. And further, that they see capitalism not as the saviour of humanity, but as the perpetrator of this crisis.

According to our countless Cassandras, there are storm clouds on the horizon – both metaphorical and literal ones. There will be hurricanes, floods, rising oceans, and a surfeit of precipitation, as well as droughts, fires, disappearing rivers, and insufficient precipitation. This impending climate crisis, we are repeatedly told, presents an existential threat to the planet and we have only 30 years to save it. Or perhaps 12 years. Or 10. Or maybe just six months. Regardless of disagreements over what calamities are looming and how much time we have left, however, there’s widespread agreement on the common enemy – the market economy. And this beast can only be defeated through the mobilization of government to war-like levels of effort and taxation.