Two subjects, however, have not been mentioned in his account that could have a major bearing on international relations over the next fifty years: nuclear energy and global warming.

Yes, energy is all important in keeping the wheels of industry turning, and supplies of oil and gas are foremost in this regard. If we keep pouring carbon back into the atmosphere at ever-increasing rates, then the consequences – although unforeseeable – will undoubtedly be disastrous and technology (whether of the rocket kind or not) will not save us.

In seeking to avert the problems brought on us through the burning of fossil fuels, more and more countries are looking to the nuclear option, despite uranium ore being a finite commodity and radioactivity waste being a ongoing danger for many thousands of years.

Problems associated with both of these subjects are well known among scientists (and have been for a good many years) , but have been largely suppressed by the controlled media that are at pains not to alarm people about what is happening. It is only now that the realities of global warming are being spoken about, although little of a substantial nature is being done to deal with it. Further, the competition for oil and gas suggests that no countries are willing to forego their stake in the energy race despite the damage being done to our planet from the burning of fossil fuels.

As far as radioactivity is concerned, it would be interesting to have global information on changes to the level of background radiation, on the factors affecting these levels, and on the consequences for people living in areas where radiation levels are high. As more nuclear waste is produced these problems will grow – and depleted uranium use in ordinance does nothing to stop its spread!