The writing is on the wall. Energy is the next big story that will dominate societal consciousness for the next few decades.
"Say it ain't so" is the bellyaching whine that emanates from the conservative camp of conventional economists who have successfully pulled the wool over the eyes of people (including themselves) for the past half a century or more with their irrational ideology of ever increasing consumption. If only we can all hold out just a teeny bit longer... perhaps there'll be a miracle solution - just in time - so that we don't have to transform the way in which we live, and so that they don't have to suffer any disruptions in their business activities. After all, economic growth makes EVERYONE better off, right?
There are two camps now: the holdouts, and the ones who are starting to accept the new reality and realize that the party is really kind of over. There could be a revolution, lurking just around the corner, that will transform the way in which we live. The holdouts, of course, would like nothing more than for all of the stories that captivate our attention to be centered around consumption - new gadgets, devices, and stuff - more and more cool stuff. They desperately do not wish energy to dominate the consciousness of mankind. On the other hand, the entrepreneurs who are now working at the renewable energy technologies for tomorrow would love for our focus to be on energy - spending our precious money overhauling our systems of energy production, rather than flushing it down the toilet of useless consumable stuff.
Expect a painful adjustment to occur over the next few decades that will bring hardship to some, while bringing great opportunity to others who embrace the coming changes and rise to the occasion with a willingness to adapt and let go of the unsustainable ways of the past. While some are trying desperately to stave off the revolution, other intrepid pioneers are working hard specifically to bring on the revolution. There is still growth to be had over the next fifty years, but much of it will be in cannibalizing defunct, unsustainable business sectors.