In an article by Paul MacKenzie-Cummins of transitiontowns.org he makes an interesting point about the cost of fuel.
..so next time you fill up the car and bemoan the fact that the price of petrol has risen, again, think about how much the same amount of fuel is going to cost you in the next five years…… more than twice as much.
In the last 12 months we have seen the price rise from £0.85 to £1.07 pre litre. This represents a 24% rise and it does not look like it will stop.
So it may be time to start planning what to do so that you can continue to enjoy the lifestyle you have become used to…. before it is too late.
2 responses so far ↓
1 Ben Kunz // Jun 10, 2008 at 2:46 pm
You are right. People make two mistakes, following a trend line too far, or not paying attention the trend line.
Petro (gasoline) has been unusually cheap for the past 20 years in the U.S., when adjusted for inflation. You could say the current spike is a natural return to what energy should cost us. If the trend continues, and a casual read of “peak oil” on Google suggests it will, much more than auto usage will change — big box stores and suburbs may go the way of the dinosaur.
I so hope that someone starts a moon-launch-type initiative to build real new energy systems (hydrogen? solar power beamed from space?) but for now we Americans will just complain at the pump. It’s too far to bike to work.
2 Ben Kunz // Jun 10, 2008 at 2:47 pm
Um. Two mistakes. Hey, it’s still early.
You must log in to post a comment.