Energy efficiency and the Age of Petroleum

Perry has some thoughts:

The Stone Age didn't end because we ran out of stones, and the petroleum age won't end because we run out of petroleum.

Likewise, the age of horse/animal power didn’t end because we ran out of animals, and we didn’t stop using steam power because we couldn’t build enough steam engines.

And the age of whale oil didn't end because we ran out of whales, and the age of using wood for heating homes didn't end because we ran out of trees.

There have of course been problems with overwhaling ("Save the Whales", anyone?) but this was long after alternatives to whale oil.