Even if we had cold fusion, the idea of continuing a growth based BAU type economy/society is a complete waste. There will ALWAYS be limits to growth and the continuation of this type of thing. cold fusion or whatever you have, your still putting off bigger problems for later, there is only so much land area and arable food. The problem with the world is we are relentlessly pursuing growth and are encountering diminishing marginal returns, this is a problem only we, not technology, will solve.

Back in this universe, there is no way that a 30 year old physicist is going to get something usable from the Cold Fusion effect. Firstly, because the youngest guy in the field that I know of is 48 - all the potential young people have got scared off by the severe career damage that results - and secondly because all the research that can be done on a shoestring has already been done. Cold fusion is a quantum nanotechnology / surface physics phenomenon, and only a really well-funded lab or corporation could do meaningful work in this area. Thirdly, the CF / LENR community represents a much smaller fraction of the science community (i.e. no more than about 40 active research groups worldwide) than does Peak Oil in its corner.

TOD-ers, you have no idea what it is to struggle against a really dominant cultural paradigm, believe me.