What else can we do?

jabo · #1 (**permalink**) 04-30-2008, 02:24 AM

Oil prices increase again and so for other commodities as well I guess.

Refinery strike pumps oil up to record high - Yahoo! News

anything else that we can do?

cw1865 · #2 (**permalink**) 04-30-2008, 06:08 PM

build a future without it....short term: use less.

jabo · #3 (**permalink**) 05-22-2008, 03:17 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by cw1865

build a future without it....short term: use less.

I don't know how we could USE LESS of oil. Well yes we can use alternatives for running our cars like converting engines to run on used cooking oils, or converting to a hybrid, but oil has played a very important role in our lives and the economy...

cw1865 · #4 (**permalink**) 05-22-2008, 04:23 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jabo

I don't know how we could USE LESS of oil. Well yes we can use alternatives for running our cars like converting engines to run on used cooking oils, or converting to a hybrid, but oil has played a very important role in our lives and the economy...

Well then you will pay for it, but on a microeconomic level your budget will be reduced. Macro, the terms of trade just went through a dramatic shift. At some point, at some time, there will be no supply at any price.

I saw an interesting program called 'Yellow Sand' regarding desertification in China in and around Minqing. There is a small farming village, which by my definitions isn't much suitable for farming. Nevertheless, water is very scarce and they spend half their 'take home' on a yearly basis to make sure that the water is diverted into their village to irrigate the fields. Point is that as the price of water increases it gets used only for the most valued purposes. There is no water to take 10 minute showers, no flush toilets, etc.

The same goes for oil/gasoline, as the price continues to be bid up economic behavior will change. At first, people still must consume the gas, and will shift their budget to buy it, but they will do whatever it takes to reduce consumption. The changes are already happening. Scooter sales are up 24%, I have noticed more and more people shutting their engine off at traffic lights that are known to be long, the price of used Geo Metros is up, mass transit ridership is up....

My friend and I are fully prepared to open a Neighborhood Electric Vehicle dealership which for a second car makes a tremendous amount of sense, but even @ $3.00 per gallon, the cars simply just don't go very fast or very far....

jabo · #5 (**permalink**) 05-23-2008, 02:52 AM

I was just wondering on what is the reason why gas prices just keeps on increasing....

chandrika · #6 (**permalink**) 05-23-2008, 07:23 AM

I dont know, its like everything is going up in price. But I dont get it, my gas company for example made about 200billion pounds profit l;ast year and have just put the price up yet again, saying that their suppliers have put the price up and they have to in order to cover theis costs.....with a profit of 200billion, I would say their costs are pretty much covered in any situation.

jabo · #7 (**permalink**) 05-23-2008, 09:12 AM

Well there are products out there that the reason for increasing its price is because of a price increase of another commodity. For example, public transportations increase their prices because of increasing gas price, also electricity, food prices, some because of gas some because of the scarcity of resource, specially rice in some countries.... The less people can afford transportation, the higher the costs of commodity get... in short People don't transport goods as often as before nowadays. scarcity and high gas price..

Martinscholes · #8 (**permalink**) 05-24-2008, 09:52 PM

Greedy. Just plain greedy the energy firms.

jabo · #9 (**permalink**) 05-26-2008, 03:04 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Martinscholes

Greedy. Just plain greedy the energy firms.

How could they be? I mean every energy firm in the world is affected by the oil price increase, and follows other commodities... They have nothing to do but to follow this price. If this firms wont be able to get supply, then they wont be able to meet the demands of the consumer....

cw1865 · #10 (**permalink**) 05-27-2008, 01:36 PM

Actually I agree jabo, as a percentage of the sale, the individual states and the Federal government take a larger percentage of the sale, albeit a decreasing percentage as the price increases (its a flat tax, not an ad valorem tax)...

same is true for auto companies. If you add up all of the payroll taxes remitted by GM's employees, add up all of the sales taxes remitted to states on the sale of each car at the retail level, all property taxes, etc. - even disregarding any corporate taxes GM might be paying, the government's interest in GM far exceeds the interest of GM's shareholders.

Outdust_Regna · #11 (**permalink**) 06-02-2008, 06:54 AM

Well, it is not just oil prices are doing a hike. Almost everything from my point of view. There is really no free lunch (even if someone treated you to lunch, that someone still paid for it - silly but true). So what else can we do you ask? Work hard and if it is not enough work hard some more. And if it is still not enough, work hard even more until we exhaust everything we've got. Otherwise, stay in one corner to rot. =)

Martinscholes · #12 (**permalink**) 06-02-2008, 08:51 PM

Plastics can be made from corn, or from alcohol, and plastic can be recycled.

Engines can be more efficient.

Diesel engines? Originally Diesel designed his engines to run on peanut oil. Then fuel oil came along and that was that.

A friend was surprised to recently see someone in the car park of a Tesco store pouring a large container of vegetable oil into the fuel tank of their vehicle.

jabo · #13 (**permalink**) 06-03-2008, 03:19 AM

^^well yes there are now available conversions for diesel to run on alternatives. well, engines, the same as plastic can also be recycled and re used. There are scrap yards who sell or makes use of some engines parts or just recycles this engine. They even get oil from this engines.

WickedGoddess · #14 (**permalink**) 06-03-2008, 09:27 PM

I don't why price keeps increasing, aren't there anymore source of oil?

jabo · #15 (**permalink**) 06-04-2008, 02:43 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by WickedGoddess

I don't why price keeps increasing, aren't there anymore source of oil?

There is actually a huge amount of oil that we are just not allowed to dig up to make good use of. Well, one reason is that they are beyond our geographical limits, another is because of the environmentalists. Environmentalists disallow us to make use of our resources. For example, they wouldn't allow creating alternative source of energy because it may harm some animals.

chandrika · #16 (**permalink**) 06-04-2008, 05:33 AM

There is this guy Dr Craig Venter, he mapped the first human genome. He has a good solution, he has genetically created a bacterial life form that can be produced in silos and that creates energy.

His ideas were presented on the BBC's Dimbleby lectures December 2007.

He claims they will have fourth generation fuels developed next year.

AFP: Famed geneticist creating life form that turns CO2 to fuel

chandrika · #17 (**permalink**) 06-04-2008, 05:37 AM

Here is a link to the video of the 2007 BBC Dimbleby lecture if anyone is interested. I thought it was great!

The Richard Dimbleby Lecture 2007 Dr. J. Craig Venter - Truveo Video Search