[deek]

I think we are in agreement that an alternative fuel source is required and the hunt is most definitely on to find the "silver bullet".

However, how are we going to cope in our future world without plastics (derived from hydrocarbons). Has much thought been given to this?

If we can't have fossil fuel then we can't have plastics either. How are we going to address this catastrophic problem. Just have a look around, I'll bet there are very few people on this vast planet that don't heavily depend on plastics in every day life. I think major life style changes will be required in the years to come.