The economist Julian Simon bet in 1980 that the prices of five free traded commodities would in ten years. In 1990 Simon this bet against the neo-Malthusian Paul Ehrlich.?

In 1980, economist Julian Simon bet Paul Ehrlich that the prices of five commodities—copper, aluminum, nickel, tin, and tungsten—would decrease over the next decade, countering Ehrlich's neo-Malthusian predictions of resource scarcity and rising prices. By 1990, when the bet concluded, Simon had won, as the prices of these commodities had indeed fallen. This wager highlighted the belief in human ingenuity and technological advancement in overcoming resource limitations, challenging the pessimistic views on population growth and resource depletion. Simon's victory is often cited as a pivotal moment in the debate over resource sustainability.