Fw: Gas Prices

[Delwin D Fandrich]

> Subject: FW: Gas Prices
>  This makes more sense than the don't buy gas on a certain day routine
> that was going  around in April or May of this year. Whoever started this
> has a good point!
> By now you're probably thinking gasoline priced at about $1.49 is cheap.
> Me too!  As it is now $1.58 for regular unleaded.  Now that the oil
> companies and the OPEC nations have conditioned us to think that the cost
> of a gallon of gas is CHEAP at less than $1.50, we need to try an
aggressive
> response.

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You are right, $1.49 per gallon of gasoline is cheap.  So is $1.58 per
gallon.

The US pumps approximately 22% of the worldwide carbon dioxide ('greenhouse
gases') emissions into the atmosphere, in large part because of the
extremely low energy prices that we pay.  (At least in terms of the direct
purchase price.  There is a much higher price down the road, but since it is
not paid at the pump it tends to be overlooked.)

There is no longer any serious debate as to whether or not these emissions
are damaging the planet.  The debate is now simply one of determining how
extensive the damage will be and whether or not humanity can survive the
damage.

The world of the near future will be quite different from the one we live in
today.  It will be much warmer -- eleven of the hottest years in recorded
history have occurred since 1983.  The five hottest consecutive years in
history were 1991 to 1995.  1998 was the hottest year ever.  The planet is
heating up at faster rate than any time in its history.

If you don't think this is a serious problem, check with the insurance
industry.  During the 1980's insurance losses due to weather-related
damage -- droughts, floods, storm surges, sea level rise, etc. -- averaged
about $2 billion a year.  In 1998 alone the tab was $89 billion.  And it's
going to get much worse.  Remember last year's record-setting drought in the
mid-Atlantic states (six states were declared disaster areas).  The heatwave
through the Midwest and northeastern U.S. cost 271 lives.  Hurricane Floyd
alone resulted in over $1 billion worth of damage in North Carolina alone.
And we got off easy.  A cyclone in India killed over 10,000 people.  The
mud-slides in Venezuela killed 15,000 people.  In December of last year wind
storms through northern Europe resulted in over $4 billion of damage.

And the list goes on.

No, we don't pay nearly enough for the energy we use so wastefully.  Not by
half.  But we're going to.

Del