There's a solution to high gas prices. Americans will hate it.

[Nevilledog]

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Matthew Zeitlin
@MattZeitlin
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In Europe, *energy company CEOs* are begging for conservation, meanwhile in the US, no one can even ask for carpooling or work from home. Whatever happened to energy conservation?

grid.news
There’s a solution to high gas prices. Americans will hate it.
Europe has woven energy conservation into its politics and economics in a way the United States has not. Persistently high prices may change that.
11:43 AM · Jul 1, 2022

https://www.grid.news/story/economy/2022/07/01/theres-a-solution-to-high-gas-prices-americans-will-hate-it/

The solution to high gas prices, to some energy executives, is obvious. But only in Europe.

French energy executives, including the chief executive of Total, one of the world’s largest oil companies, recently sent an open letter for the French people to “collectively take action on energy demand by reducing our consumption.”

Europe depends on natural gas especially for much of its heat and electricity that — although this is likely changing — greatly comes from Russia. The chief executive officer of Shell, which is based in London, said earlier this week that a “turbulent period in the world energy market is coming as Europe tries to replace natural gas that will likely be cut off from Russia.”

In other words, one way to lower energy prices and aid in the Ukraine war effort is to slow demand. Conservation can come in a variety of forms: driving less, lower temperatures in buildings in the winter, carpooling, using public transportation, replacing gas furnaces or working from home. In other words, asking consumers — who have been putting incredible strain on energy resources through surging demand — to use less.

But if Europeans could be eventually forced by Russia to do so, Americans often bristle at the very idea they should consume less.

That’s because Europe — and parts of Asia — have energy conservation and efficiency woven into their politics and economies in a way that the energy-rich United States does not.

*snip*

[TheRealNorth]

1. A fair amount of people are still working from home...

At least here innthe Twin Cities. So it could be worse.

[uponit7771]

23. +1, ... and the WFH trend is going to grow even more. People going back to the office will be ..

... the exception not the rule going forward.

It's cheaper to WFH and we don't have the work in city tax burden

[ck4829]

2. It's been beaten into our heads, I think, that consumption is "freedom"

And this goes double for the car.

Fighting over limited parking spaces - Freedom
Driving a compensating hummer - Freedom
Sitting in traffic - Freedom

Taking the bus? That's what poor people do! And. You. Do. Not. Want. To. Be. Or. Even. Look. Poor.

And it's not even about enjoyment, pleasure, fun, knowledge, etc.; you have your thing, someone else doesn't.

"Freedom".

[TheRealNorth]

4. Yup

The movies and TV ads don't show the guy hopping on mass transit getting the girl.

[Happy Hoosier]

6. To be fair... in my experience using a bus sucks.

Takes forever to get anywhere. Not useful for things like grocery shopping. Not to mention obnoxious assholes everywhere.

But I avoid city living in general. I like to visit cities, but could not stand living in one.

[ck4829]

9. It doesn't have to be that way

But people would rather have parking lots and garage complexes than bus terminals... because "freedom"

[Happy Hoosier]

10. Not sure how buses can ever be convenient for some things.

I know some people adjust their lifestyles to urban living. For me, the concrete jungle is just not a great place to be.

[exboyfil]

3. It ended when Jimmy Carter put on a sweater

It is our God given right to use as much energy as we can.

[Buckeye_Democrat]

14. I've been thinking about President Carter recently...

... because of inflation.

Now Biden needs to address the nation, urging everyone to conserve energy as Carter did, to make me worry even more about an election backlash in 2024.

The media might need to uncover some beer-drinking loudmouth relative of Joe Biden, regularly interviewing him for his drunken input about various issues, to convince even more voters to hate Joe.

Not that I disagree at all with the need to conserve energy, of course.

[crickets]

16. Sadly true.

Jimmy was right about energy conservation and alternative energy sources, but Reagan made sure to squash any of that as soon as he took office. I'm still angry that he removed the solar panels from the White House.

Obama installed new panels:

https://www.theverge.com/2014/5/9/5699946/solar-panels-now-grace-the-roof-of-the-white-house

The original panels were rescued from storage:

https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/carter-white-house-solar-panel-array/

[TheFarseer]

5. They are letting us work from home

2 days a month specifically to help with gas costs. Better than nothing.

[LogicFirst]

7. ARCO gas this morning in Phoenix: $5.00

On the other hand - QuikTrip was $5.45.

[Happy Hoosier]

8. The answer is to transition to non-fossil fuel energy sources.

It's not that hard, really.

[MichMan]

11. I find myself driving less now that the cost to do so has doubled in the last year.

Surely I'm not the only one conserving that way by eliminating some trips and consolidating others

[doc03]

12. That is exactly right in 2020 when everything was

shut down oil companies were paying to get rid of their oil.

[A HERETIC I AM]

13. Profit trumps the public good in this country, plain and simple.

[UpInArms]

15. I do custom crafting for a company

located 50 miles from my home … there are a number of us in my area who do this … once a week, I pick up another person and then we pick up 2 other people’s work and take my car that get 38 mpg … thus, carpooling for 4 … and everyone is happy

[roamer65]

17. There is a solution to high prices AND carbon emissions.

Motor fuel rationing.

[mucifer]

18. It's great for people who can do it. I'm a hospice nurse working a large territory BUT,

my prius gets about 50 mpg so that helps some.

[Scrivener7]

20. That in itself is conservation. And I'd imagine you'd be considered an

essential service.

At any rate it's a really impressive service!

[Scrivener7]

19. But, but, but... that would mean not buying monster pickups. How will

the guys look like real men if they don't have their "Special Ops" package pickup when they're driving to Costco??1???

Hand to God. There is a huge pickup in my parking lot that has "Special Ops" printed in three or four places on the body. So we know about all the special ops the owner is engaging in in the supermarket of our suburban village.

[TheRealNorth]

25. I saw something like this a week ago....

Except it was something like "Seal Team 6" in a big ass truck that looked like it hadn't seen a hard day of work in its entire life. Of course, ACTUAL members of elite Special Ops don't advertise who they are.

[rownesheck]

21. Our country's motto should be changed to

"Ain't nobody gonna tell me what to do!"

[jeffreyi]

22. Remember 55 mph?

Try it. Makes a huge difference.

[TheRealNorth]

26. If Biden suggested that....

Heads would explode. Republican governors would up the speed limit by 10 MPH just to "own the libs".

[Solly Mack]

24. The collective good v. the good of me, myself, and I.

In America, we're not all in it together. Too much of the I got mine, you get yours, but I don't really want you to have anything in case you get more than me, so I need to keep you from getting even a little, even though I'll blame you for having nothing.

[Wounded Bear]

27. American exceptionalism means we don't have to learn anything from other countries...nt