Forethought Forgot

Subheader on a Newsweek story I stumbled across this afternoon: "Global business leaders are looking outside the box for new energy sources. Don’t expect oil prices to go down anytime soon." Argh! Is the price the only thing anyone cares about?!
In a few decades there will be no oil at any attainable price (for a detailed proof in plain English, see the August 2005 National Geographic cover story). Unfortunately, most of the world, presidents and suburbanites alike, are stumbling around with blinders on. There once was a time when people sacrificed everything for their posterity. And today? Today, we buy whatever will give us the quickest pleasure with money we don't have. Instant gratification rules for consumers, manufacturers, energy suppliers—ignore questions of sustainability if it creates instant profit.
This just doesn't make sense, for individuals or businesses. It's like feeding a child his own arms. Sure, he may grow taller, but is it worth the cost? Who will care about the low-priced televisions at Wal-Mart when there is no food in the grocery section? We are racing full-speed towards a worldwide rush on resources, and no one cares. The self-described developed world plans on paying some third-world country to fix it. Does chaos take plastic?