21st Century ET

I’m talking about Energy Technology, not Extra Terrestrial, silly.  Seriously though, Thomas Friedman wrote an interesting piece for The New York Times last week.  The piece, entitled “Bailout (and Buildup)” presents a case about the price signal of gasoline and carbon.  The sudden drop in our gasoline prices to the lowest point in about a year undoubtedly sparked Friedman’s words, including “Why does this news leave me with mixed feelings?”  I was left with the same mixed feelings of Friedman when this price drop hit.  I mean, I was happy for the bit of relief at the pump, but a bit worried about how others would react.  I was delighted when I went to fill up my minivan last week for a mere $42…I had been paying over $70.  (Yes, I know, I drive a minivan…let’s discuss the environmental impacts of that part of my life in a later blog.)  In fact, I called my husband as I left the gas station to share this news.  In the next breath, I went on to say how this could prove to have more negative impacts than positive.  Will folks revert back to their gas-guzzling activities – driving more and using public transit less?  As an environmentalist and a realist though, I know that it will take something drastic, nearly catastrophic, for the world to make an honest change towards sustainability.  The rising price of gas was acting like such a signal; let’s not forgot that signal and all we changed as a result.  I think we’ve come a long way, but we’ve got much more road to cover, like investing in ET - energy technology!

Comments

[Steve]

But did we actually change anything when gas was over $4?
When I ask my friends who share my view that higher gas prices are good what changes THEY have made because prices are high, they can't come up with anything.
I plead guilty, too. I cannot make a claim that we reduced our household driving at all at $4+ gas. All we did was pay more when we filled the car up.
Some people express the view that the high gas prices will get "people" to change their behavior. Who are these people we are expecting to change their behavior instead of us?