STOP DRIVING!!!!
Ok. Maybe not stop completely. However, today as I filled up for $2.08/gallon, and paid $35 to fill my tank (and I have an 18.5 gallon in my car), I would like to remind everyone of the $4/gallon prices. And how not fun that was. And to encourage you to please, please, please, continue to be mindful of your driving habits.
See, our ‘friends’ at OPEC are not happy with gas prices falling. They seem to think that they are producing too much oil for us, and they want to cut production. Know what that will mean for us? A rise at the pump again. Because God forbid they actually not make a profit.
The article that I linked to above pointed this out: “After gasoline prices soared above $4 a gallon earlier this year, oil demand in the United States dropped over the summer. Consumption fell by 1.8 million barrels a day, or 8 percent…” Why is that?
I may be being completely simplistic here in my thinking. But changes were obviously made when prices went that high. Myself? I started carpooling. It’s not the most convenient thing, since no one I carpool with has the exact same schedule as me, but it’s worth it to me to spend a couple extra hours at school if it means not paying over $300/month to fill up my gas tank. Since prices have fallen so much, I haven’t stopped carpooling. At this point, I refuse to. One, it’s still reducing my own demand for gas, and b) I like the company. (There is that matter of being at school and getting work done too).
“What OPEC is looking for is managing the fundamentals so they can create the conditions for a price recovery at some point, when the global economy starts to recover”
Price recovery? Snort. More like price gouging.
If we demand it, they will make it. If we over-demand it, they get to charge more for it (because the supply can’t keep up with demand!) If they charge more for it, we’re going to be right back to where we were this summer, bitching about the control of the oil industry, and how powerless we are.
We aren’t powerless. Just remember that. Whatever changes you may have made over the summer, keep them up.
(Yes, I realize there are more factors at play than just individual changes – the economy, threat of global recession all have an impact. I’m not an economist. I’m just a broke grad student imploring people to be mindful of their driving habits.)
I remember hearing a few weeks ago, too, somewhere that I thought was reputable (can’t remember where) saying the same thing, that we had made a difference. I tend to be kind of skeptical and consider the source when hearing this kind of thing, but this time I do think we had some impact. Like you said, there was more to it, but it wasn’t like one of those stupid hoax junk emails about “don’t buy gas on Tuesday” that don’t actually work. We stopped using as much gas overall, period, and not just on Tuesday. And it worked. And hopefully some of our habits have stuck. I think you are right on here.
By: Maggie's Mind on November 11, 2008
at 11:29 pm
Totally agree with you. I still combine errands so I don’t drive as often, carpool as much as I can and just plain don’t drive as much.
By: Lisa on November 12, 2008
at 11:00 am