In order to address sustainability, we need to address renewable. I know that right now renewable is being sold as a way forward to replace FFs. How much of that is possible to remain to be seen but to do nothing would be disastrous. To say

For the author, the goal of creation and training of a “carbon army” of workers for a vast energy program is to restore economic growth "is a different kind of growth, but growth nonetheless.”

is just not quite truthful. It's as if lumping all "new" energy programs, whether it's carbon-capturing or wind-energy or solar energy into on big brush of "carbon army".
If permaculture is to take off, would we consider that growth and growth nevertheless and therefore bad? There is a growth that leads to consumerism and a "temporary, short-term" growth that leads to sustainability -- i think we need to separate them and work on the latter. Right now, consumerism is still a huge part of our world; we might be working on renewable to satisfy part of this "consumerism" but reality will be what it will be in the near future.

I don't know what the answers are for what we really need in the future. I have my doubts that we can solve enough problems for 7 billion human beings but whatever possible solutions we are trying now (renewable energy, permaculture, etc...), it will be useful to some that will survive all this mess.