Things happen for a reason.
There is an old saying, ‘Do you see the glass half full, or the glass half empty?’ If we look at the current crisis in regard to fuel prices, you would be forgiven for seeing the glass half empty.
However, studies have shown that as the price or petrol (gasoline) increases to record highs, we are not sitting around whinging about it. Instead, we are working out ways we can avoid spending unnecessary amounts of hard earned cash. In doing so, we will probably do untold amounts of good to the environment.
“Certainly for now we do know that people get used to a certain price over time and it may be the case that we’re just seeing the knee-jerk reaction,” he said.
“But if we do see the price of petrol continuing to rise then we’re going to continue to see people changing their behaviour.
“Anecdotal evidence suggests that people are looking to public transport now, that they’re using their cars less to go up to the shops to buy a litre of milk, whatever it happens to be.
“Even in terms of businesses they’ve clearly got to adjust their behaviours, perhaps making sure that trucks and semi-trailers are well and truly full, and may be able to reduce the number of trips they make.”
http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2008/06/18/2279048.htm
If you look at it, we are changing our habits for purely selfish reasons; we want more cash in our pockets, and we will do anything not to give it to someone else. It’s sad that we are not looking at protecting the environment for the sake of protecting the environment. But, whatever works.
Having lived in Asia for the last 5 years, I have not needed a car. Public Transport has been good enough for me to survive on. Now that I am returning to Australia, the thought of driving everywhere and spending astronomical amounts of money on petrol is not something I am looking forward to. Even I am thinking of times that I can leave the car at home and use public transport, which is in turn, changing my habits from what they were the last time I lived in Australia.
So, like me, it may well be the first time we, as global citizens, have really thought about what we do every day, rather than just put our minds in automatic pilot, and go through the motions of life. It may also make the drivers of the world truly look at how efficient our city’s public transport systems are, and even see how bad they are for the first time. Again, we will jump up and down if those systems are not up to speed, and we will do this, again, out of pure selfishness.
Maybe this is the answer to getting the world’s citizens to take environmental issues seriously; make them hurt. Just like when you want to get your kids to do something for you, threaten to take away something they really like. Rest assured, what you want done by them will be done in record time. No fuss, and very little effort.
As oil prices increase, so does our awareness of the world around us. If high oil prices end up saving our environment, then we can look back and say that this was the pivotal moment in each of our lives that changed the downward environmental spiral.
Enjoy your day.
Throwing stones from the glasshouse 
Things happen for a reason.
There is an old saying, ‘Do you see the glass half full, or the glass half empty?’ If we look at the current crisis in regard to fuel prices, you would be forgiven for seeing the glass half empty.
However, studies have shown that as the price or petrol (gasoline) increases to record highs, we are not sitting around whinging about it. Instead, we are working out ways we can avoid spending unnecessary amounts of hard earned cash. In doing so, we will probably do untold amounts of good to the environment.
“Certainly for now we do know that people get used to a certain price over time and it may be the case that we’re just seeing the knee-jerk reaction,” he said.
“But if we do see the price of petrol continuing to rise then we’re going to continue to see people changing their behaviour.
“Anecdotal evidence suggests that people are looking to public transport now, that they’re using their cars less to go up to the shops to buy a litre of milk, whatever it happens to be.
“Even in terms of businesses they’ve clearly got to adjust their behaviours, perhaps making sure that trucks and semi-trailers are well and truly full, and may be able to reduce the number of trips they make.”
http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2008/06/18/2279048.htm
If you look at it, we are changing our habits for purely selfish reasons; we want more cash in our pockets, and we will do anything not to give it to someone else. It’s sad that we are not looking at protecting the environment for the sake of protecting the environment. But, whatever works.
Having lived in Asia for the last 5 years, I have not needed a car. Public Transport has been good enough for me to survive on. Now that I am returning to Australia, the thought of driving everywhere and spending astronomical amounts of money on petrol is not something I am looking forward to. Even I am thinking of times that I can leave the car at home and use public transport, which is in turn, changing my habits from what they were the last time I lived in Australia.
So, like me, it may well be the first time we, as global citizens, have really thought about what we do every day, rather than just put our minds in automatic pilot, and go through the motions of life. It may also make the drivers of the world truly look at how efficient our city’s public transport systems are, and even see how bad they are for the first time. Again, we will jump up and down if those systems are not up to speed, and we will do this, again, out of pure selfishness.
Maybe this is the answer to getting the world’s citizens to take environmental issues seriously; make them hurt. Just like when you want to get your kids to do something for you, threaten to take away something they really like. Rest assured, what you want done by them will be done in record time. No fuss, and very little effort.
As oil prices increase, so does our awareness of the world around us. If high oil prices end up saving our environment, then we can look back and say that this was the pivotal moment in each of our lives that changed the downward environmental spiral.
Enjoy your day.
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