April 07, 2005
Petroleum is a Finite Resource
While gasoline costs have reached record levels, further price increases are expected. Analysts agree that prices are going to continue climbing higher and most suggest that there's no end in sight.
The upward pressure on gasoline prices stems largely from an energy market that knows global oil production will NOT be able to keep pace with growing demand. Currently there's ample supply to meet demand, but there is also a huge amount of speculation on the oil markets and there is a lot of profit-taking among the oil companies.
It's time to take some steps to expedite energy-related legislation and maybe launch an investigation into gouging at the refinery and retail levels.
A while back Rolling Stone published this apocolyptic view of a gas-less future The Long Emergency
Brazil has long run on ethanol, a corn product. A heavily populated country, it remains a fairly cheap product to purchase despite burgeoning growth rates. The return to localized business exchange and interaction is a good thing. A radical alteration in the fuel supply might be just what the doctor ordered.
Posted by dancoy at April 7, 2005 01:24 PM