CNN Peak Oil
I haven’t done a good Peak Oil post in a while, but I saw a good one on CNN. I believe this is an ongoing series, so I won’t say too much about the content yet, but they have some interesting interviews. They also mention the progress Brazil has made in moving to flex vehicles. They now use over 40% ethanol rather than oil in transportation as opposed to the US which uses 3%. On the positive side my energy bill says that last quarter only 2% came from oil, and more than 70% came from Nuclear.
The thing I found most terrifying though was juxtaposing the Woosley (ex CIA director) interview with the GM interview. Woosley talking about how high fuel costs will make the poor unable to eat (since they can’t reach their jobs) and GM talking about how making SUVs that get 20 mpg is fine because people who make more than $100k per year won’t feel it at the pump if gas prices double, so it is fine to make cars for them.
Condemning the poor based on the purchasing desires of the rich. Wow. He goes on to admit that they missed the boat on hybrids, but is still unrepentant about selling the big gas guzzlers.
There is an E85 gas station 2 miles from my apartment. I wonder how much a flex car costs in the US?
GM talking about how making SUVs that get 20 mpg is fine because people who make more than $100k per year won’t feel it at the pump if gas prices double, so it is fine to make cars for them.
That’s just stupid-talk. If the price of gas doubles, the cost of EVERYTHING will go up, not just personal transportation. So, the rich person will be spending more on food, clothes, heating, just like the poor person, and they will be looking for ways to economize. Look at the oil crisis of the 1970s, and the effect it had on what sort of cars people drove. GM might still produce gas-guzzling cars in the post-peak-oil world, but they’ll sell a lot less of them.