I don't think people should be despairing quite yet. A lot of people talk about how huge their stash is, and yet are worried about the increasing prices. Maybe the rate of growth of your stashes will decline, but it sounds like there will still be plenty of money for purchasing for many (I know not all) of us. Also, if you're smart about looking for sales and deals on the web, plenty can still be purchased! Fatquartershop.com still has old pricing on all of their fabrics as far as I can see, and Fabric.com sells all of Moda's lines even cheaper than that! LQS's may be in trouble (and I'm very sorry about that) but we won't be, as long as we're a bit smarter and more discerning about where and when we buy.
QuiltingaddictUK - I assume you mean global warming. I would love to hear the argument as to how cotton prices are affected by global warming; I haven't heard it. It sounds like you're getting a bit political, though. I don't know what it's like in the UK, but in the US, I certainly haven't seen it being, "an excuse for everything."