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Gas Prices
By Mike LushingtonI don't like the current high prices of gasoline any more than does anyone else. I wonder, too, about these trends and how they will affect the prices of heating fuels this winter. I know that we will be able to afford them ourselves, but I have to wonder, and worry about, those for whom such costs are going to present a real burden.
Still, the conservationist in me is so tempted to say, "We told you so." ( I guess that I have just succumbed to that temptation, haven't I?) How many of us remember the panic and then all of the good intentions that came about as results of the oil embargos of the 1970's? Oh, yes, we were full of good intentions; we were going to learn to conserve our fuel consumption, drive small, economic vehicles, and generally treat a rare and precious commodity (as we began to think of it) with respect.
Well, we all know where those fine intentions went.If anything, we are more wasteful of gasoline now than we were back in the 1960's, when no one seriously considered the possibility that we would ever run out - or that we might spend as much as $80.00 or $90.00 to fill a gas tank - unless it was on a jet plane. I am as guilty as anyone I know. I cannot remember the last time that I decided not to go somewhere simply because it would be a waste of gas to do so. I haven't significantly changed my lifestyle to reflect any conservationist leanings; in fact, since I retired from teaching I no longer have to go into town with the same regularity, so when I do go, I drive rather than walk, on the grounds that I will probably have to pick stuff up at the post office or wherever else I may stop.
I have come to several conclusions about these current prices, though. One of them is that they bring us rather more closely in line with prices paid by many people in the world outside of the United States. A second is this time, prices seem to be driven by deeper and more lasting concerns than were those in the 1970's; if I am right, we will not see a significant decrease for a long time to come. A third follows directly from the second; this time, when people make the move toward smaller, more economical vehicles, it will be a permanent move rather than a fad.
A fourth may be the most important one of all. The current situation may just be the catalyst toward the mass production of so-called "hybrids" those little cars that run on a combination of gasoline and electricity, while, at the same time, finally encourage the development of attractive, functional mass transportation systems, at least in areas of large populations.
One thing seems certain: the huge North American love affair with the automobile is on its last legs. One way or another, we are going to have to consider seriously who we are going to manage transportation, both of large populations and on a personal level, while we can still afford to consider options - and while those options still exist.