We are not amused. 
Seriously, this is all of the science fiction stuff we were presented with in films of the 70's and 80's. A group of people heading off into space leaving behind a dead planet, stripped of anything that was of use.
A bit extreme, I know, but there are folk who genuinely fear this scenario. I can't see the present situation getting any better (barring a great leap forward in science). Things seem to be coming to a crisis point very quickly and I think the world twenty years from now will be a very different place.
On the other hand, the gas isn't doing anyone any good in the ground!
There is a simple measure to avoid the "dead planet". Just cull the human race.
Seriously, we can go back to living in the trees, or continue innovating and hope that a breakthrough makes our lifestyle more sustainable. Either way, the reality is that our existence here will only ever turn out to be a little transient in the history of our planet, just like it was for the dinosaurs. Sometimes, I think we consider ourselves to be more significant than we actually are!
