In the fall of 1917, a severe coal shortage hit the United States. Riots even broke out over the lack of energy as the nation went into the winter months. Some people were calling for conservation, but one snarky newspaper article insisted that conserving was for suckers. Why? People of the future—specifically, the people of 100 years hence—wouldn’t be using coal anyway.
Source: Gizmodo – Article From 1917: Don’t Worry About Coal, They’ll Definitely Be Using Something Else By 2017