Comments on: The opportunity created by crisis http://blog.psaonline.org/2008/06/10/the-opportunity-created-by-crisis/ Wed, 08 Feb 2012 08:45:45 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.2.1 By: Jeff Asjes http://blog.psaonline.org/2008/06/10/the-opportunity-created-by-crisis/comment-page-1/#comment-1037263 Jeff Asjes Wed, 11 Jun 2008 20:22:44 +0000 http://blog.psaonline.org/?p=547#comment-1037263 Perhaps the biggest problem yet to face is how to turn all of this good new panick and public pressure into appropriate action. Popular demand can be counted upon to bring changes eventually, but there is no guarantee that it will bring about the right ones. As a prime example, take the recent increases in government spending on ethanol and biodiesel incentives. Public opinion resulted in proactive measures, but it now appears that those measures have done more harm than good, if <a href="http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2005/07/19/tech/main709983.shtml" rel="nofollow">recent research</a> is any indication. Moreover, popular misperceptions about energy in general abound. What's needed now is a push to better inform the American public about alternative energy and the costs and benefits of different approaches. Without that all we are likely to see is a continued hodgepodge of placatory gestures and little overall progress. Perhaps the biggest problem yet to face is how to turn all of this good new panick and public pressure into appropriate action. Popular demand can be counted upon to bring changes eventually, but there is no guarantee that it will bring about the right ones.

As a prime example, take the recent increases in government spending on ethanol and biodiesel incentives. Public opinion resulted in proactive measures, but it now appears that those measures have done more harm than good, if recent research is any indication. Moreover, popular misperceptions about energy in general abound.

What’s needed now is a push to better inform the American public about alternative energy and the costs and benefits of different approaches. Without that all we are likely to see is a continued hodgepodge of placatory gestures and little overall progress.

]]> By: Kirsten Derynioski http://blog.psaonline.org/2008/06/10/the-opportunity-created-by-crisis/comment-page-1/#comment-1036744 Kirsten Derynioski Wed, 11 Jun 2008 15:45:49 +0000 http://blog.psaonline.org/?p=547#comment-1036744 Lou, you have a good point, and the Europeans don't use gas on the same scale as we do, which brings me to Matt's comment about the questions we should have been asking ourselves twenty years ago. In my mind this crisis is brought about in large part by urban sprawl. Lou, you are absolutely right that the vast majority of Europeans don't drive ten miles to go to the grocery store, as I managed to put all of 4,000 miles on my car the first year I lived in Germany. I walked for daily errands, and took the car for a larger weekly shopping trip, and my "commute" was around seven miles in a medium-sized city. Twenty years ago we figured the gas would always be cheap and built ourselves into a situation in which we need to take a car to run simple errands. Can we move everyone back to the city? Or can we move stores closer to our neighborhoods? Something to think about. . . Lou, you have a good point, and the Europeans don’t use gas on the same scale as we do, which brings me to Matt’s comment about the questions we should have been asking ourselves twenty years ago.

In my mind this crisis is brought about in large part by urban sprawl. Lou, you are absolutely right that the vast majority of Europeans don’t drive ten miles to go to the grocery store, as I managed to put all of 4,000 miles on my car the first year I lived in Germany. I walked for daily errands, and took the car for a larger weekly shopping trip, and my “commute” was around seven miles in a medium-sized city.

Twenty years ago we figured the gas would always be cheap and built ourselves into a situation in which we need to take a car to run simple errands. Can we move everyone back to the city? Or can we move stores closer to our neighborhoods?

Something to think about. . .

]]> By: Lou http://blog.psaonline.org/2008/06/10/the-opportunity-created-by-crisis/comment-page-1/#comment-1034547 Lou Tue, 10 Jun 2008 19:22:34 +0000 http://blog.psaonline.org/?p=547#comment-1034547 Michael G. The European comparison is bogus. The high gas prices in Europe don't have the same effect on their society as they do on ours. They have public transportation systems light years ahead of ours. They have cultures that are used to walking and bicycling. They don't need to drive ten miles to go to the grocery store or pick up a light bulb. I agree that we shouldn't get overly stressed about the high gas prices. But, I also agree with Roger that it is high time that the government launch and fund a "Manhattan" style alternative energy program, and that the energy companies start actively pursuing alternative energy sources rather than just playing lip service to it. We as the voting public should demand more of our leaders in both the public and private sector. In light of the current oil crisis, it is unbelievable that we, the voting public, would stand by while a sitting Vice President, who made his millions off of oil, sits behind closed doors and discusses energy "policy" with the very people who made him rich. We deserve better from our leaders and we should not be afraid to demand better of them either. Michael G. The European comparison is bogus. The high gas prices in Europe don’t have the same effect on their society as they do on ours. They have public transportation systems light years ahead of ours. They have cultures that are used to walking and bicycling. They don’t need to drive ten miles to go to the grocery store or pick up a light bulb. I agree that we shouldn’t get overly stressed about the high gas prices. But, I also agree with Roger that it is high time that the government launch and fund a “Manhattan” style alternative energy program, and that the energy companies start actively pursuing alternative energy sources rather than just playing lip service to it. We as the voting public should demand more of our leaders in both the public and private sector. In light of the current oil crisis, it is unbelievable that we, the voting public, would stand by while a sitting Vice President, who made his millions off of oil, sits behind closed doors and discusses energy “policy” with the very people who made him rich. We deserve better from our leaders and we should not be afraid to demand better of them either.

]]> By: Michael G http://blog.psaonline.org/2008/06/10/the-opportunity-created-by-crisis/comment-page-1/#comment-1034205 Michael G Tue, 10 Jun 2008 16:53:55 +0000 http://blog.psaonline.org/?p=547#comment-1034205 Roger, the pain is nowhere near European levels. The outcry at $4 pales into insignificance when you think that the cost per gallon at the pump in the UK is now over $9.50 and shortly expected to break through $10. If we Europeans pay this much and have not yet made a headlong drive for alternate fuel sources are you sure that $4 is the threshold in the US or perhaps there is still some slack to go before someone presses the panic button? Roger, the pain is nowhere near European levels. The outcry at $4 pales into insignificance when you think that the cost per gallon at the pump in the UK is now over $9.50 and shortly expected to break through $10. If we Europeans pay this much and have not yet made a headlong drive for alternate fuel sources are you sure that $4 is the threshold in the US or perhaps there is still some slack to go before someone presses the panic button?

]]> By: Matt Rojansky http://blog.psaonline.org/2008/06/10/the-opportunity-created-by-crisis/comment-page-1/#comment-1033606 Matt Rojansky Tue, 10 Jun 2008 13:02:18 +0000 http://blog.psaonline.org/?p=547#comment-1033606 Absolutely the right questions to be asking (though we ought to have been asking them about twenty years ago). Here's the big one, to my mind: What's going to change the political incentive structure so that the next President and Congress can act to prevent another irresponsible energy policy as occurred post-1973? In other words, if Saudi Arabia boosts production to reduce price (as they've recently suggested some willingness to do) or if OPEC perceives a long term threat to its choke hold on world energy thanks to serious and sustained alternative fuels research, what's to stop it from simply flooding the market and reducing price--albeit temporarily, but long enough to undo any alternative fuels policies around the world? The obvious, but politically impossible (it seems), answer is a TAX. Hence the conundrum. Absolutely the right questions to be asking (though we ought to have been asking them about twenty years ago). Here’s the big one, to my mind: What’s going to change the political incentive structure so that the next President and Congress can act to prevent another irresponsible energy policy as occurred post-1973? In other words, if Saudi Arabia boosts production to reduce price (as they’ve recently suggested some willingness to do) or if OPEC perceives a long term threat to its choke hold on world energy thanks to serious and sustained alternative fuels research, what’s to stop it from simply flooding the market and reducing price–albeit temporarily, but long enough to undo any alternative fuels policies around the world? The obvious, but politically impossible (it seems), answer is a TAX. Hence the conundrum.

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