"The financial crisis and recession have weakened the competitive constraint from the smaller providers, " the OFT's report said.

BBC: Bank accounts: OFT says significant change needed

Even normally cautious bodies like the International Energy Agency and the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development are sounding the alarm, with the latter recently releasing a comprehensive report forecasting a world in 2050 that will be defined by resource constraint and its economic impacts.

CNN: The Earth is full