Read this front page story on The Wall Street Journal's web site: "Powering Down for the Long Term".
Holy SMOKES!!!!!! You like apples? How do you like them apples??!!
Think about it. The fact that the world's preeminent capitalist media operation is talking about a permanent end of energy consumption growth in the world's 2nd/3rd largest economy means simply this:
The U.S. and China are next. Come on... Is the U.S. or China special? If not, then how far behind Japan is the permanent end of energy consumption growth for the other 2 of 3? Not very long at all.
While the U.S. might not be as efficient in its uses of energy, and therefore might tolerate the first round of "forced efficiency" reasonably well, this is not true of China, India, Japan, and the other large population but low per capita energy consumers (compared to the U.S.). Ergo, these nations will likely be willing to bid the price of energy much higher... with all of that outcome's concomitant effects on the U.S. as the world's largest Oil importer (as well as a nation that has come to rely on cheap Natural Gas... something the continuance of which I think must be questioned vigorously).
This is big stuff. Richard Heinlein, author of "Power Down", should be doing a victory lap right about now. Hat tip to Rich.