Some great thoughts and observations.

Yes, I also am convinced the pursuit of the infinite growth chalice must not be abandoned for that will imperil the revenue streams of the ruling elite. Everything will be sacrificed for the sake of this imperative.

My gut tells me that one of the more insidious approaches (for it is rarely if ever recognised for what it is and 'blame' for its negative impacts can be foisted on some 'other') will be a conflagration of 'liquidity support' (aka credit/debt expansion) as nations attempt to 'buy' their way out of this predicament with each attempting to expand their currency's 'purchasing power' over their neighbours, leading to an increasingly hyper-inflationary crack-up boom as posited by Ludwig von Mises as part of his Austrian Business Cycle Theory.

PS

Just came across this as an example of what is likely to increase in frequency: https://www.zerohedge.com/markets/german-takeover-talks-distressed-natgas-utilities-expands-three