That's a constant theme lately, it seems to lead to a vision of a culture thrown back into the pre-techno times of horses and endless human labor. 

But we really need to moderate the pessimism.  Take some good advice from Pathos.  To paraphrase: Act in your personal life as though techno fixes won't work, reduce your own carbon footprint as much as possible.

Meanwhile activate politically to support the very best technological path to a GHG cure.  Try to be positive, yes we can, that's the spirit.

Take a cue from Barack as he embodies Ghandi's technique, become the change you want to see in the world.

I know it is easy to blame technology for the fix we are in and therefore despair of a techno fix.  But facts are facts, all the fix we need is already being developed.  

Technology that will actually save money by curtailing soaring energy prices and generate the capital needed with economic revival.  Your kids need you to see through the gloom and doom.

The problem is political, not technological.  The huge waste of money on every front in our culture needs to be wisely applied to real solutions.  We have the cash necessary to do this.

And of course you are so right that quality of life does not depend on consuming more and more energy.  That cultural change, real values, would really help impell the politics.

Here's a nice positive example how a buildout of renewables might not emit a lot of extra carbon. Solar PV can be made with solar energy.  With solar furnace technology, it is well understood and tested and actually very cost competitive with other energy systems.

Solar furnaces can recycle the metal from the old energy economy too.  melt down those SUVs to make plugin hybrid bikes for instance.  I like the human power idea.  let most people pedal themselves around, most of the time, with a little renewable electric boost for the hills.

I think there is a conscious effort on the part of the old energy industry monopolies to soak up all the extra capital and make a transition to renewable/conservation energy policy impossible.  No conspiracy, they just collectively see it as a threat to their wealth and power.

It's going to be very difficult to wrench the necessary capital out of their cold, deathlike grip.  Eventually Cheney's darth vader helmet will fail him.