How's this for cynical: I don't see the world getting worse. I see the US and its population joining the rest of the world in its problems. Gas, resources, climate, war and conflict, politics, standard of living, technology, innovation, infrastructure, economy, culture, etc., etc. are starting to level out with the rest of the developed world (and vice versa). No longer can we look down our noses at others, nor can we either legitimately claim or illegitimately pretend to be better off than others, that we're some beacon of hope or bastion of better living. With the rest of the world reaching our many dubious distinctions as a rich society, we are all going to suffer a bit.
In the end, I don't think we're going downhill. I think we are where we always were as a world. War, money, food, health, etc. are getting more extreme among people, but it's zero sum as a people. Does that make sense? Life is way better for some, way worse for others. The consequences of our actions are likewise more extreme, some have no influence, others an amazing amount. (I don't just mean world leaders either. Think about that every time you throw out the garbage.) In the end, we're running in place.
We change the technology but not the sociology.
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