$5 a gallon... Now we're talking!

Who hasn’t been impressed with the gas prices these days? B is on the west coast this week and she tells me that in Los Angeles, gas is already over $4 a gallon! Here on the island is over $3 a gallon. Definitely not a good time for long commutes; and for those that make their living in the transportation industry.

However, for years I have been a strong supporter of taxing gasoline to $5 per gallon, because I feel that we are not going to be motivated to conserve, unless it hurts our pocketbooks. Of course, the pocketbooks of those at the lower socio-economic standings will start “hurting” earlier, so I was hoping for a more equitable encouragement.

In 1978 I was driving my first car, at the time when in California we found ourselves making long lines at the gas stations, thanks to the Arab Oil embargo of the time. That experience made such an impression on me that I have always been concerned with how dependent we are on foreign oil, especially oil from the very volatile Middle East. Once the crisis was over, I thought to myself, what a great opportunity to start building our defenses so that we would not be in such a vulnerable position once again. But instead of continuing to fund research into alternative energies, such as the energy tax credits of the Carter era, we went the other way by building larger and gas-guzzling vehicles. Detroit couldn’t produce them large enough, or fast enough to meet the demand.

On the other hand, other countries around the world were dealing with artificially inflated gasoline prices, which in turn made drivers think twice about their gasoline-using habits. Also around those days, a small motorcycle company (Honda) and Toyota, pounced on the opportunity to supply frugal drivers with inexpensive and fuel-economy vehicles. Detroit didn’t even blink. Who cared about that other market? The rest of the world? Where IS that, exactly? We now know the rest of the story.

Another factor that has shaped my way of thinking was my scientific training and mindset. Maybe because of that, I have always appreciated the works of Mother Nature and have been concerned about our carelessness towards the environment.

To me it just made all the sense in the world to control, and hopefully reduce, our use of fossil fuels for energy. Conservation offers the potential for tangible rewards –independence from foreign oil and cleaner air. And more recently, with the warnings about the likely global warming, our heavy use of fossil fuel is getting another slap on the face.

But what will it take to regain some control over our energy situation? The prices at the pump are telling me that we may be doing too little and maybe a little too late. A recent report from Monash University in Australia claims that unless we reduce our fossil fuel utilization by a whopping EIGHTY PERCENT (80%), we will not be doing enough to avoid the upcoming climate change.

Eighty percent! That is alarming! Have you thought of what will it take to reduce YOUR oil consumption by 80%? If you could only do one 1 of every 5 car trips you currently make. Which trips would you cut? Could you go to the supermarket on a bicycle? How much could you bring? Would your babies travel well in a wagon pulled by a bicycle? Would that be the same in rainy or snowy weather?

You see where I’m going with this, right?

Do you see what just happened? I promised to keep this blog “light-hearted” and here I’m sinking again in the depths of cynicism and gloominess. Enough with that!

To close, my wish to my two readers is that if we get stuck someplace without being able to drive or travel, may you get stuck somewhere that you consider enjoyable. In the mean time, get some new walking shoes.