High Oil Prices Thread.

[rvijay]

Have you been feeling the effects of high oil prices ? How are you coping ? Any other related info. welcome.

Vijay

[bstutzma]

I'm looking for a job in the city so I won't have to commute out of it. (ok, so I've been doing that for a while, but just more hurried now.)

I Already drive a fuel efficient car. I'm just trying to drive it as little as possible at this point. Gas prices are hurting my ability to save a certain amount every month, but I know I'm in the lucky camp that its just affecting my savings growth, rather than biting into other durable goods needs.

[lilgirl252729]

2.65 a gallon here in western pennsylvania. I never really drive that much anyways...I don't have anywhere I really need to go....I won't be driving until next week...class starts then....other than that....wasting gas is stupid.

[angiedawn404]

$2.55 right now where I live. And yes it does hurt me because I'm already living paycheck to paycheck. I drive a pretty fuel efficient car but I have to drive to work back and forth everyday since I don't live within walking distance. It sucks. I want to move to the city and ride a bike everywhere.

[SeaSiren]

Car Pooling to work (no bus system here) and making time for errands which are on the way to or from work. No special trips and always calculationg how much it is to get from point A to Point B.

[SeaSiren]

Oh yes, and since my company ships most of it's goods, our shipping fees have increased again for UPS.

[TheFriskyCat]

I bike the few places I can. Or at least I did, until my freaking bike was stolen last night!! :(

[kraftykraft]

I have cut way down on my trips home to see my parents. They live about three hours away from me and last summer I went home twice a month (they have a pool :) ), but this summer I have mostly stayed here because I don't want to pay for the gas. It makes me sad, but what can you do?

I am so sorry to hear about your bike friskycat - I wish I could bike places, but I live in the burbs along a busy highway so biking is kind of life threatening.

[Ludi]

My husband and I bought a used Toyota Echo (40 miles per gallon). We work at home so we don't have to drive much usually. But we will definitely feel the impact of higher shipping and materials costs.

These high oil prices are confusing and seem driven by speculation and concern about political situations and the future. They may be a sign of the "plateau" phase of peak oil (*wince*) during which prices are very volatile. Some people predict $100 a barrel early next year. Some people may be wrong...or not....

Energy is going to become the big issue soon, especially this winter which is predicted to be very cold, with record high heating oil prices. People will be pointing fingers of blame everywhere and demanding "the government do something!"

More info than you want here: http://peakoil.com/forums.html

Two of the top guys in the peak oil realm are on that forum, debating opposite sides of the issue. The quintessential "doomer" Matt Savinar, and "peak oil won't be a problem" economist Michael Lynch. So you can get a balanced view.


For all the latest energy related news: http://www.energybulletin.net/index.php


This is a huge issue for me, as anyone knows who's read many of my posts. I think everyone needs to become informed on it, and look at all sides of the issue. This isn't something we can afford to be ignorant about, and in my opinion, we can't hope for the powers that be to help us with it, at least not in the US. Those in some other countries are in a much better position.

[Diana]

Gosh, you people pay such LOW prices for your petrol.

I've just converted everything. One US gallon is equal to 3.785 litres. We pay more or less 1.65 Swiss Francs per litre. 1.65 Swiss Francs is equal to about 1.30 USD. So that means 3.785 multipled by 1.30 which means USD 4.92 per gallon.

I always knew Americans had cheap petrol (which is why your President is keen to find more), but you're paying half the price we do here.

Am not jealous. I think cheap petrol means people use their cars more and contributes to pollution and global warming. I think petrol should cost a lot more and then maybe people would start trying to think of alternative means of transport and of energy.

[Ludi]

Gosh, you people pay such LOW prices for your petrol.


It's true! It's amazing what we consider "expensive." But remember the US is all spread out into suburbia, with very little mass transit. We're absolutely dependent on lots of cheap gasoline.:doh:

[otomik]

europe has a car tax and a lot more gas tax.
but in US... right now i commute to work, but i'm thinking of moving since each day it's an hour of my time and 5 dollars from my pocket, i've done it a few years ago but gas was so cheap back then.

[rainbow_clouds]

Always thinking in the back of my mind "How much is this trip going to cost" :(

Makes me want to ditch my car.

[Red]

Gosh, you people pay such LOW prices for your petrol.


Technically, we probably pay about the same for the petrol. It's just that Europeans have piggybacked a whole lot more of their tax base on it as well.

[Diana]

It's true! It's amazing what we consider "expensive." But remember the US is all spread out into suburbia, with very little mass transit. We're absolutely dependent on lots of cheap gasoline.:doh:

You are only dependent because the people in "charge" are not doing anything to find alternative means of transport and/or energy. And why are they not doing anything about it? Well, because of the petrol lobby and the close ties between your government(s) and the petrol cheiks.

What a shame you don't have a strong green party who could influence things a bit.

[otomik]

You are only dependent because the people in "charge" are not doing anything to find alternative means of transport and/or energy. And why are they not doing anything about it? Well, because of the petrol lobby and the close ties between your government(s) and the petrol cheiks.

What a shame you don't have a strong green party who could influence things a bit.not really, you guys have a strong green party but what do you have really different? more diesel cars? (thrifty but not really an improvement in the energy situation), B2 biodiesel (a 2% blend), you already have compact cities and that's because they weren't all designed in the 1950s during the american car craze. Switzerland is powered by nuclear and hydroelectric power, that's not so alternative is it?

now we could be subsidizing gasoline to 5 cents a gallon like socialist Iraq...

[Diana]

otomik: We have very little diesel here (that's in France) but that's not the point. I was specifically responding to what Ludi said that the United States are dependent on cheap petrol. I don't think you are. I think you are dependent on petrol. Not cheap petrol. Whether it's cheap or not doesn't make the dependency. You're very dependent on it because your cities (for instance) have been designed around the availability of petrol. Your public transport sucks except in some of the cities which have good underground service. I tried getting round Baltimore with public transport - I gave up and took taxis instead.

As to Switzerland, we're stuck with our democracy which is actually an oligarchy run by bankers and insurance companies. Definitely not a model for the world. We'll have disappeared in a couple of hundred years anyway - history will take care of us I think. (I reckon we should be divided up three ways. The French speaking Swiss get shoved off to make a new French border; the Swiss Germans can become part of Germany and the Swiss Italians - well, they can be part of Italy. Everything would be much simpler that way and we wouldn't have to listen to that DREADFUL YODELLING ANYMORE!!!! :D ).

[Diana]

I just read today that the prices in Switzerland for petrol are expected to go up by the end of the year to about 1.42 USD per litre, which is with today's currency conversion approx. USD 5.40 per US gallon.

The article also went into a lot of detail as to how the oil "crisis" is not only due to extra refinement requirements, but also due to massive speculation by US pension funds so the prices do not reflect reality.

The article also said that an end is in sight though to the price hike, but probably not till next year, unless of course they said, that Bush decides to declare war in Iran...... (no comment).

[Ludi]

"Cheapness" is actually quite important. If gasoline gets too expensive, the US economy will suffer terribly, because people will not be able to afford to commute from their distant suburban homes to their jobs in the city. See why I say we're dependent on "cheap petrol?" People will either be forced to give up their homes in the suburbs, causing a crash in the housing market, or must somehow find a way to make a living in the suburbs.

[Diana]

Ludi: That's the point I'm trying to make. Decent public transport could solve that problem. Damn.... America has 1) money, 2) universities 3) scientists 4) all the technology they need 4) ideas 5) enthusiasm...

If you can create such an incredible organisation such as NASA, you can create decent public transport. There is no excuse... except for the fact that your government (and PARTICULARLY the present one) has no desire to break away from their petrol connections. Without some federal encouragement, REAL encouragement, you guys are stuck.

Why don't you all vote for someone else next time? Give yourself a chance to break out of your spiral...

[Ludi]

America actually doesn't have much money anymore...and we don't have much enthusiasm either...if people were really interested in this issue, they would demand changes, but what are they doing? They're rushing out to buy SUVs because of "employee discounts."

[Diana]

Ludi: In spite of my deepest disgust at the current US administration, despite my despair at some of the things that go on in that country... I cannot believe that the American Dream is dead. (Just like Punk is not dead either :guitar: ).

There are so many good people, thinking people, people with brains....

(There's plenty of money - it's just being used in the wrong places, like in Iraq for instance).

Maybe it will require some kind of catastrophe to wake people out of their stupour...

[Ludi]

Ludi: In spite of my deepest disgust at the current US administration, despite my despair at some of the things that go on in that country... I cannot believe that the American Dream is dead. (Just like Punk is not dead either :guitar: ).

There are so many good people, thinking people, people with brains....

(There's plenty of money - it's just being used in the wrong places, like in Iraq for instance).

Maybe it will require some kind of catastrophe to wake people out of their stupour...


Actually the US is badly in debt, mainly to China.

"The United States, the world’s leading debtor nation, is now heavily dependent on Chinese capital to underwrite its fast-growing debt. If China ever decides to divert this capital surplus elsewhere, either to internal investment or to the development of oil, gas, and mineral resources elsewhere in the world, the U.S. economy will be in trouble."

http://www.energybulletin.net/4357.html



I agree there are many good people, but it's very difficult to go against the American culture of "More and Bigger!" We've had more and more since America began, our entire way of life is based on expansion, so to realise there are limits is very difficult for most people here.

I'm afraid it may take a catastrophe to wake the American people from their dream, and we're rapidly heading toward that catastrophe.

[otomik]

buses are probably the best mass transport for american cities but they aren't desirable because smelly people, thugs and bums all ride them too.

but they can do better, there's this one bus service in oregon that goes from portland to salem (most filled with lawyers commuting to the capital), clean fast and quiet (a little more expensive), thats the kind of no bum bus service america needs.

[Diana]

otomik: Something more modern than buses need to be developed. Buses are outdated. Something LONG TERM is needed. Using modern technology. It won't be done in a day, but it would be a fantastic legacy to leave for the future generation.