High Gas Prices Provide Opportunity for Reflection
Feeling the price at the gas pump yet? The reason that gas prices are so high may not be immediately obvious, though most of us are familiar with the concept of Peak Oil. Whether or not we've reached the inevitable tipping point of the free-energy parade we've been having for so long, we haven't actually run out of oil — yet.
The root cause of our current situation involves two primary issues: refinery capacity and overall consumption rate:
As has been the case for many weeks, gasoline consumption continues to run above last year, a series of refining problems have kept gasoline output well below the utilization needed to build stockpiles, and the US seems to be unable to find enough refined gasoline in the world markets to make up the difference (1)."
Despite our best efforts to use more fuel, the national ability to turn unrefined oil into gasoline has hit a bottleneck. This doesn't really slow down consumption, it just tends to drive prices up and eat into national reserves:
Last week, US gasoline stockpiles dropped for the 12th straight week by another 1.1 million barrels as US motorists continued to burn up gasoline at a rate 1.6 percent higher than last year (1)."
In reality, we are just using too much fuel. I understand that this is not exactly a new concept, especially to GO readers. But it's an issue worth reconsidering today, and probably every day for the foreseeable future:
. . .if present trends continue, the U.S, will be burning 290 billion gallons of gasoline by 2050 (up from 140 billion gallons today) (2). "
Not only are we using too much oil, but scant consideration is given to exactly where all this money goes. The serious rumination garnered by socially and environmentally certified products is seldom extended into the realm of transportation. But there is little justification for such a psychological disconnect: If every dollar spent is a vote, then most of us are all still voting for Big Oil:
Demand for oil has increased significantly in the last few years, and world production is close to full capacity. According to Resources, "Global oil supply stands at 84 million barrels per day, while spare capacity is only 1 to 1.5 million barrels per day–the lowest level in three decades." The United State's oil import bill in 2005 was over $240 billion dollars, much of which flowed out of the country into so-called terrorist regimes."
Today, the world’s oil frontier includes a list of countries that mirrors a catalog of global trouble spots, including Angola, Azerbaijan, Chad, Nigeria, Sudan, and Venezuela. Most of these countries rank disturbingly low in many measures of political liberty, human rights, and corruption (3)."
The whole idea of financing the corrupt industries of Angola, Azerbaijan, Chad, Nigeria, Sudan, and Venezuela (among others) is ethically bankrupt. It is inconceivable that consumers purchase fair-trade and organic products, while simultaneously sending supporting this international oil industry (4)."
Now I won't go so far as to condemn the American People, because I think oil consumption is a product of lack of consciousness and/or viable alternatives. But why don't gas purchases carry the same weight as buying fair-trade coffee imported from Ecuador? How much does it take to push us into changing the way we live? Each day, 300 million of us choose how to get around, and if we question it at all the most likely point we come to is, "well, what else are we going to do?"
There are several underlying problems behind the growing [fuel] shortfalls, none of which seem susceptible to immediate solution. The automobile is so deeply embedded into our lifestyles that gasoline will have to go much higher * some say $6+ a gallon - before there will be any significant slackening in demand. Sales of gas-guzzlers probably will continue to drop, but major changes in lifestyles will not come until actual gasoline shortages and gas lines develop. Here in America, there are simply too many other ways to save money before we cut back on driving. In the meantime, the struggle among demand, prices, refining, and imports will continue. Every Wednesday morning the Department of Energy will update the score card and the picture of how much longer we can all continue business as usual will become a little clearer."
My question to you, the reader, is: what can we do right now to really start moving away from using gasoline and diesel for transportation?
I know we write a lot here about alternative fuels and new resource-conserving technology. But sometimes the real important message, the call to action, the part where we actually start doing something and implementing these new solutions into our own lives - sometimes this gets lost in the text.
So let me turn this obscure dicussion on oil consumption into a call to action: When you finish reading this post, take a few minutes to think about the gas you use and the driving you do. How much of it is necessary? How much is not? Is there a bus-stop nearby, but you've never taken the time to learn the routes? Is there an opportunity to carpool to work or other activities? Is it possible to ride your bike or walk for at least part of your trip?
If this bit of reflection reveals anything to you, or even if it doesn't, please take a minute and post it as a comment. I am eager to hear about any steps you may have made to drive less. If you haven't taken any steps yet, that's ok - all I'm asking for is a few minutes of reflection.
What part are you playing in the world we live in today?
(1) Energy Bulletin: The peak oil crisis: Week twelve. Tom Whipple. (May 3, 2007)
(2) Grist: A Bridge to Somewhere? What we've learned from the biofuels series. (Dec 15, 2006)
(3) WorldWatch Institute. American Energy: The Renewable Path to Energy Security. (Sept. 2006)
(4) For more information on Nigerian Oil, see National Geographic Magazine's Article.
Tags: Activism, Automobiles, Conservation, gas+prices, oil, peak+oil, public+transportation
- Uncategorized
May 10th, 2007 at 6:58 pm
I'll go first:
Last year I found myself lucky enough to move to a town that's 3 miles in diameter and one of the most bike-friendly in the nation. There's little excuse for driving anywhere. Still, most people drive everywhere, and despite my best efforts, I've found myself driving to the grocery store on occasion. Each time, little by little, I've reminded and cajoled myself into avoiding driving whenever possible. Now, biking everywhere has become easy and routine. I end up biking about 40-50 miles a week, which keeps me healthy, and really takes less time than starting up the car and driving. I've reduced my total driving to about 5 miles per week. This saves me a lot of money in the form of fuel purchases, but also in vehicle maintenance costs. I also generally feel better about everything the less time I spend in a car.
That's my story.
-Clayton
May 10th, 2007 at 7:29 pm
Don’t forget to check out the Green Guide for more ideas:
http://www.greenoptions.com/wiki/automobiles
May 10th, 2007 at 7:38 pm
I remember a high school social studies teacher asking us students (back in 1999) how high the price at the pump would have to go before the American people got drastic in one way or another (major change of life style, call for war, etc). $5/gal was the price he proposed, and it seemed outrageously expensive at the time. Not so much, now. Hopefully, having their checkbook take a hit will help people realize they don’t need to be chained to a gasoline car for transport.
May 10th, 2007 at 8:21 pm
I’ve got this little Saturn SL1 that gets about 35 miles per gallon. As a matter of protest against the hassle and expense of inspection, registration, insurance, etc… it’s just been sitting unused for the past 2 years.
Well you’ve inspired me. I’m going to put it back on the road and let my son drive it as a daily driver rather than the V8 Mustang… as much as he drives this one may solve the whole fuel crisis all by itself.
On that topic I wish it wasn’t so darn expensive and so much of a hassle to insure and register a vehicle. It’s always at least a 30 minute wait to get it through emmissions testing… add another 30 standing in line for the tag (per car) plus the ridiculous fees… then the insurance. You’d think that cities would want to encourage people to own a second daily-driver car instead of hoofing to work every day in their big honkin’ family SUV.
Anyway… just a thought.
May 11th, 2007 at 12:48 am
Moving to Corvallis has done a world of good in terms of my gas expenses. This hits home especially when compared to the mind-bogglingly huge expanse that is now the greater Salt Lake City area. I was actually unfortunate enough to be stuck in my car during “rush hour” this morning (it’s really only for dog transport to and from the park now), and I was remembering the trauma from having to do it day after day back in Utah. I felt sorry for the “me” of a past life, and for everyone who’s 8 - 8:30 time frame is spent staring at the back end of some slow moving minivan, with a Bush/Cheeney bumper sticker. I spend my 10 minute bike ride filling my lungs with air, exchanging smiles, and feeling in the air what the day is getting ready to bring. I still drive too much, and Oregon has great outdoors and a coastline that beckon, so the milage can pile up that way. But I feel better about trumping some of it with my day-to-day commute being by bicycle.
May 11th, 2007 at 12:55 am
I had a chuckle about your son singlehandedly being responsible for the fuel crises - I remember when I turned 16 I hit the road too. I think gas was the cheapest it's been in my lifetime when I graduated from highschool. Needless to say, I did a lot of driving without really thinking much about it.
I sort of wonder why my parents didn't say more about that. I guess they were just trying to let me come to certain realizations on my own. I can't really blame them - I have know idea how I would deal with that if I had a kid :).
It wasn't until I really sat down and laid out my values at the end of college that I realized I had to make a sincere effort to use less gasoline - it was really about applying a value system more than any other considertaion. But I guess going to college is supposed to make you do that kind of thing.
Thanks for the comment!
May 11th, 2007 at 1:01 am
Very true - I've heard other people peg $5 too.
Wouldn't it be great if we could move away from oil before that happens?
I know that economics are important people. I also know, though, that clean air, clean water, and good health are important to people too. I also believe people tend to care about where their money goes, and what their money actually supports. That is, of course, when they are informed about that…
May 11th, 2007 at 4:28 am
I live in an area where the freeways can be clogged for 6 hours a day. I sometimes ride my bicycle 8 miles to work and pass a lot of cars. Bicycle riding would be so much better if there weren’t all the cars on the road. I guess it wouldn’t be much better if all the cars were bicyles though. I figure I might start to cut down on driving due to finances once it hits at least $10/gallon. People in the Seattle area are very well off, so it’s hard to imagine that a $300 fill up would stop someone from driving a $300K car.
I look forward to the life when consumption is no longer the rule of the day!
May 11th, 2007 at 5:15 pm
The general trend among the environmentally hip to blithely believe that we will somehow continue to live in a techno-world while becoming more and more green smacks of schizophrenia. Take this quote the author decided to drop into his piece unchallenged:
“‘. . .if present trends continue, the U.S, will be burning 290 billion gallons of gasoline by 2050 (up from 140 billion gallons today) (2).’”
WTF!!!! This will not happen. That he does not point this out is truly weird. We are at peak. We will NOT increase our gasoline use by 100%. WILL NOT HAPPEN. In the next two years, we will see an accelerating descent into chaos. Joe Sixpack will wake one morning and discover his Ford F350 cannot be run. Will Joe jump on his bike and wheel on down to the World Wrestling Federation event? No. Joe will demand we fuel his truck. There will be war. More war. War in Iran, Saudia Arabia, Sudan, Nigeria, and anywhere else we can steal oil.
And we will suffer a dieoff. And I am not talking about a pie in the sky, not in my lifetime, won’t happen to me dieoff, I mean look around you at your coworkers and family. Two out of every three of you will be dead within twenty years by forces directly related to peak energy, global warming, and the social shitestorm that is about to hit.
Starvation, war, social chaos. Imagine biking through your town while Joe Sixpack stares with gaunt eyes from his unheated, uncooled, decrepitating little stick and plasterboard hovel. The flatscreen is dead, the playstation gathers dust, his power tools lie useless, but he still has his deer rifle. He is not concerned about what you are concerned about. Empathy is not in his vocabulary. Neither is cooperation. Remember, that right now, during this time of relative stability, when you step into an elevator with him, you look away - that’s today. Imagine the day when law enforcement is virtually non-existent.
Quit the wishful thinking. Eschew the technology all-together. Don’t ease out of Consumer Hell; kick down the door and exit IMMEDIATELY. Get like-minded people to help you. Form a tribe. Protect the tribe. Make alliances with other tribes.
Remember, the Dieoff will not be televised.
May 11th, 2007 at 7:48 pm
No thanks, I’ll just ride my bike.