There just seems to be a lot which is like ivory, or oil, or old-growth timber. There is an end to them which will require some adjustment. The question is when that adjustment starts, after the world runs out or when it's apparent there will be a problem.

Developing the technology to wring the last drop of oil out of the last pound of shale and sand costs money which could be spent on alternative technologies.

Building more and more roads for individual cars takes money away from more efficient ways of transporting people and goods. However, until it becomes so very expensive to drive cars people won't find ways to live closer to their jobs, schools and services. Until the glut of vehicles becomes so overwhelming that it takes longer to commute than do your nails, comb your hair, shave, and read the morning paper folks will continue to drive themselves.

The American people have a very limited capacity to sacrifice, to put off instant gratification. Want a war? We'll put it on the credit card. Need to draft manpower for the war? Nope, we'll use "bonuses", put them on the card, too. Want to end pollution? Sorry, that's way expensive.

We really need to develop a flexible mass transit system, maybe with pods, to satisfy the need for privacy. And people need to develop more planned existences, maybe communal, so that routine things like dry cleaning can be sent off and picked up for an entire neighborhood.

Arf