And that is the negative view. Be optimistic: alternative enrgy sources will spur growth, eliminate dependence on foreign sources, and create a whole economy on replacing existing infrastructure.
You can view everything as half-empty or half-full. It is your choice on the mindset but I prefer looking at the world as a positive place. We are in the greatest times in the history of humanity and fuel prices going up will do nothing but propel us forward.
> You can view everything as half-empty or half-full. It is your choice on the mindset but I prefer looking at the world as a positive place. We are in the greatest times in the history of humanity and fuel prices going up will do nothing but propel us forward.
I suggest watch what happens in New Zealand. We are a small country with terrible public transit and even worse highway infrastructure, entirely dependent upon our automobiles.
Gasoline is over NZ$2.00 per liter and going up daily, with no respite in sight. Almost all of it is imported pre-refined.
We are seeing these trends already:
1) More people moving to bikes
2) More motorscooters
3) More motorbikes
4) Lots of hybrids
5) Fewer SUVs and large cars
6) Huge spends in rail and bus infrastructure
7) Huge spends in highway infrastructure (go figure!)
8) Increasing instances of work-from-home and telecommuting
9) Less domestic air travel
10) Huge spends in telecommunications infrastructure
11) Fascinating innovations in battery technologies
12) More solar panels
13) Electricity shortages
14) Pressure to reform tax on fuels
15) Fascinating innovations on alternative diesel-like fuels
And to cap it all off, Kyoto is going to start to bite really hard.
We are a small country and we can therefore adapt really quickly. That is why we are often used for market tests by major multi-national companies.
What is going to happen in America will be tested and perfected here, first.
LOL. No, that is the realistic view. You represent the pollyanish viewpoint ignoring the facts and what is really involved. You are spouting the liberal view that somehow the "Green Economy" is going to create new jobs and a new prosperity. The devil is always in the details. The windmill and solar crowd fails to comprehend how much energy we need and why this technology can't meet it for the foreseeable future. I assume by alternative you mean no coal and probably no new nuclear plants.
You can view everything as half-empty or half-full. It is your choice on the mindset but I prefer looking at the world as a positive place. We are in the greatest times in the history of humanity and fuel prices going up will do nothing but propel us forward.
If the increase in fuel prices is such a good thing, let's raise the price of gas to $20 a gallon. You have no understanding of ecomomics. Inflation is a killer to any economy and so is expensive energy.
I prefer to approach complex problems with an understanding of the facts. There is no simple solution. There will be some very difficult choices ahead. Our political class seems incapable of making them. You and Obama can operate on Hope and emotion.