Maybe I’m a little slow on the uptake. Lord knows I’ve been accused of worse. But when people question whether global warming is real, or whether we’re really running out of oil, I find myself scratching my head. No ... that’s not quite right …

I find myself banging my head against a wall.

Because what the hell’s the point of even having that argument anymore? Is it just me, or is the ONLY reason anyone would want to call either climate change or our dwindling oil supplies into question because they stand to profit in the short term from sticking with the status quo? Aren’t they just trying to keep all the sheeple in line, nice and predictable-like, so they can keep on cranking out obscene quarterly profits while the rest of us struggle to figure out how to afford both gasoline and groceries?

If there’s another reason, somebody please enlighten me. Otherwise, I declare that debate officially over.

And if it’s over, the next attempt to obfuscate the issue will come from those claiming we don’t yet have enough information to know how soon or how much these issues will impact us. But isn’t that also missing the point by a mile?

Can we all agree it’s painfully clear our climate is changing due in large part to human activity and that – and this is just common sense -- oil’s getting harder and harder to find while worldwide demand continues to go up and up? If so, it seems that regardless what the changes might be or when they might happen, it’d be better to start planning now rather than wait. And those of us that do will reap big rewards on multiple levels.

To my mind, it boils it down to three options:

1) Hope for the best. Let Big Oil and their lapdog pseudo-scientists reassure us that there’s nothing to worry about, or at least nothing we can do about it. Trust the government and large corporations to keep our best interests in mind. Continue to drive SUVs and leave the lights on and look forward to the day when energy prices drop back down to “normal.” Until, that is, energy demand finally, permanently outstrips supply and things really start to unravel. This has happened before: When a civilization is built upon a formerly plentiful resource – wood, slave labor, whatever – and that resource becomes scarce, that civilization will either evolve or collapse. Just ask the Romans.

2)Strive for sustainability. If we can collectively figure out how to embrace quality rather than quantity as the measure of success, while striving for a zero-growth economy, we could, in theory, slow or stop population growth, stabilize or reduce greenhouse gas emissions and bring our consumption of energy in line with our ability to produce it. Some societies have actually pulled this off: Japan, for example, has largely figured out how to bring their consumption in line with sustainable production. It’s an admirable goal, to be sure, but such a solution would require an enormous shift in thinking – one that will take a long time to make.

3)Innovate our way out of this. Just as our forefathers figured out how to improve their efficiency – and therefore the quality of their lives – by harnessing the power of petroleum, we can spark the next energy revolution. We can do things big and small to reduce our individual impact on the Earth and we can encourage or participate in developing alternative solutions to these looming problems. And many of us could get rich by positioning ourselves to take advantage of this coming enormous shift in energy supply and demand.

Of course, the world isn’t black and white, so in reality our future will likely be a blend of all three scenarios: My money is on the idea that we’ll innovate our way to alternative energy solutions that’ll buy us the time we need to evolve into a more sustainable, quality-over-quantity, zero-growth future.

But in order for any of that to happen, we’d better stop arguing and start working. NOW.