Quote:
Originally Posted by s2man
I haven't researched it, but I have two friends who wish gasoline prices would stay around $3.50. They claim that price level would make alternative fuels cost effective, and stimulate production, development, competition, etc.
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That's unlikely. Gas costs $10 in Norway and a similar amount in Germany, but ethanol is still not price competitive without subsidies.
The high gas prices have arguably caused people to drive smaller cars in Europe. Germans drive a lot faster but they still emit less GHGs per mile driven.
Personally I'm not in favor of legislating a slower speed limit. Especially in Germany, once they put speed limits on the Autobahn, then they'll never get rid of them, even if people are driving fuel cell vehicles powered by solar arrays. Honestly, 55 is just way too slow in the US. It would push even more people onto planes, which are much worse with respect to GHGs, since our train system is basically none-existent. I drive a lot of highway miles, and I would go insane driving 55. That turns a 9 hour drive through Montana and North Dakota into a 13+ hour drive.
Also, no one in America digs ditches, so that's a silly thing to even consider. People in America use digging equipment, and as such produce more ditches for the same input of labor, therefore, their labor is worth more. We could stop all trade with Africa, and their living standard would not increase. If they had higher productivity then they would have more material goods, because they would produce more things to consume and trade.
Personally I think talking about conservation so much is counter productive. The third world wants vaccines, modern medicine, modern conveniences and they will get them regardless of what we tell them they should do. Instead we need to focus on developing technologies which allow us to continue to live lives of similar comfort while vastly reducing our impact (cheap solar panels, nuclear power, fusion power, super capacitors).