Social change is the issue, NOT a lack of technology or scientific know-how.
“The smart way to keep people passive and obedient is to strictly limit the spectrum of acceptable opinion, but allow very lively debate within that spectrum – even encourage the more critical and dissident views. That gives people the sense there’s free thinking going on, while all the time the presuppositions of the system are being reinforced by the limits put on the range of debate.” – Noam Chomsky
In fact the opposite is true, parts of society and culture lack acceptance for break-through technology because of the change that new science and paradigms require. Just like teaching a dog to sit; Politicians, business professionals, and scholars are taught to ‘follow’ the rules through their education. It’s said, “You can’t teach an old dog new tricks.” Well… old Rover’s lifespan may be only 12-15 years. Unfortunately, it takes a little longer for ‘the earth is flat’ ideology to kick the bucket.
Distraction with Sub-Par Technology
Remember when you were a kid, for your birthday you wanted that really great toy with all the bells and whistles, but when you opened your present you got a pair of socks? And then your mother saying, “You could have gotten nothing so you better be grateful.” That’s exactly whats happening right now… the current choices for energy generation are uninspired and hardly feasible solutions for the long term.