> -----Original Message----- > From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On > Behalf Of Jon Louis Mann > Sent: Tuesday, September 02, 2008 3:13 PM > To: Killer Bs (David Brin et al) Discussion > Subject: Gas prices & alternative fuel > > ...because something is cheap doesn't mean > > we need to be > > wasteful, but that's the mentality and > > lifestyle of the US. > > Until gas prices started going up, higher efficiency cars > > were a fantasy for > > the future. > > In the 80's & 90"s, most people, myself > > included, never considered or cared > > that oil and gas prices would necessitate the development > > of lighter and > > more efficient vehicles. When I graduated in the early > > 80's, $4 a gallon > > gas was something from a post-apocalypse movie. > > Even science fiction didn't predict high gas prices - > > most assumed that 30 > > years in the future an alternative fuel source would be in > > use... > > > the market for higher mpg cars started to pick up after the OPEC gas price > increases in the 70s. unfortunately, it didn't last. while the price of > gas will continue to fluctuate, it will no longer dip that much, > relatively, because demand will continue to outstrip supply, despite > renewed exploration and exploitation of vanishing resources.
Ah, what vanishing resource? Complex hydrocarbons? We've tapped well less than 1% of those in the past 200 years. We've just picked the low hanging fruit. The real question is, will the cost of developing the next fields be higher than the alternatives. Dan M. _______________________________________________ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
