asg70 wrote:"I don't see the can-kicking of consequences slowing at all"
How do you figure?
Had the fracking boom not happened then I think much of the classic peak-oil end-of-suburbia narrative would have indeed taken place. If not Mad Max doom then something in which the knock-on price of oil was a constant national topic (hopefully more nuanced than Drill Baby Drill). ....
Seems you also don't understand the difference between proactive avoidance of consequences (by avoiding consequential behaviors in the first place) and forced reactionary responses. Big difference in mindset and outcomes.
But BAU holding on for an extra 10-20 years makes a huge difference on how someone plans out their life (unless they want to just err on the side of caution and head for the hills anyway).
If BAU continues 10-20 years or longer, my lifestyle won't change much. If BAU implodes, my lifestyle will change less, and in more manageable ways than most of yours'. That's the point. It isn't about "heading to the hills" and living in some bunker. It's about expectations and avoiding traps.
People who don't have mortgages don't worry whether or not they can make this month's mortgage payment. Same with other debts. People who don't have power bills, (or gas bills, or sewer bills, or water bills, etc.) don't have to worry about those things. People who don't need to drive much don't worry much about fuel prices. People who produce much of their food don't have to worry about food shortages so much. These things will be true come BAU or no BAU, because they have created, at least as much is possible, their own BAU, not so dependent on your BAU.