Listening to the radio while driving down the road, I heard that the price of oil had hit another record high.
As I drove at 50 miles per hour, five over the speed limit, I figured I was going fast enough. But then a driver in an SUV passed me, and then another, riding his brakes while seeking an opportunity to squeeze into the next lane. Gas is never going to get cheaper, when are these angry road-warriors going to wake up and start conserving it?
Those who are old enough—and can remember past last week—will recall that in 1973 an embargo by Arab oil producing states resulted in a crisis for American gasoline consumers. As a result, motorists found themselves waiting in long lines for their turns at the pump, buying smaller, more fuel-efficient cars and driving no faster than 55 mph.
Over time, the crisis passed. But, the price of gas never returned to pre-crisis levels. People just got used to paying more for it. Highway speed limits increased again. People bought larger vehicles. Initiatives to develop alternative energy remained under-funded.
In 1956, geoscientist, M. King Hubbert predicted that oil production would peak around 1970. More recently, oil industry expert, Kenneth S. Deffeyes stated that world oil production peaked in 2005. Still others differ on when oil production peaked, or will peak.
Peak oil isn't a hard concept to understand if you know how bell curves work. Imagine getting on a Ferris wheel. As the wheel begins to rise, that's like oil being produced in ever increasing amounts. When the wheel gets to the top, oil is produced in the greatest possible amount. After that, it's all down hill. From that point forward, less and less oil will be produced each year.
No big deal, right? After all, it took years to reach peak oil. It will be years before decreased production affects our life style. Okay, but what if more people start using oil? What if a booming economy means that more Chinese will be pumping gas instead of pedaling bicycles? It could be a problem if demand for oil began to outstrip its supply.
We could address the problem by buying more fuel-efficient cars and driving more slowly like we did after the 1973 crisis. But I don't think we will. Even though Westerns aren't big box-office draws anymore, Americans still act like swaggering cowboys subduing the Wild West. That's why we drive our gas guzzlers as fast as we can and to hell with anyone who gets in our way.
By driving like idiots, we flaunt our freedom and our right to live out the American dream. By flaunting our life-style, we deny that it could ever come to an end. And by flaunting our unrealistic life-style, we will bring it to an end sooner.
But delusional thinking has its price. The more gas prices go up and the more we pretend it doesn't matter, the more a secret anger festers within us. The answer? Be more aggressive and drive faster until it isn't a problem anymore.
Look out: You're about to crash.