We can do a lot of things to move to a future powered by alternative energy sources. One of the most important, writes K.C. Golden, is to elect leaders who are willing to tell us the truth -- that fossil fuels are expensive.
"We can start by squaring up to a simple truth, fossil fuels are very costly. We pay some of the tab at the pump and in our utility bills. But we pay much more in the form of chronic national insecurity due to dependence on oil. We pay in the form of climate disruptionâ€"more intense storms, water shortages, ocean sterilization. We pay through the nose, through our lungs and through our declining standing in the world.
The price of oil may cycle down againâ€"after all, suppliers don't want to price us out of our addiction. 'Peak oil' may be more like a long ridge, with lots of price volatility to keep us guessing. The people who have the most control of oil prices also have the greatest incentive to discourage investment in alternativesâ€"so don’t expect a smooth ride up the price curve. But when the price drops, it's lying.
No matter how energy prices spike or plunge, fossil fuels are exorbitantly expensive. Their impact on our climate alone is an epic heist of the planet's wealthâ€"a hocking of our worldly treasure for a few decades' fix. The geopolitical costs of fossil fuel addiction are literally bleeding us. Whatever is driving oil pricesâ€"greed, economics, supply disruption, all of the aboveâ€"the rising price at the pump is finally communicating some fraction of the truth: fossil fuels are a colossal rip-off."
FULL STORY: Energy Futures
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UCLA Lewis Center for Regional Policy Studies
Mpact (formerly Rail~Volution)
Chaddick Institute at DePaul University
City of Piedmont, CA
Great Falls Development Authority, Inc.
HUDs Office of Policy Development and Research