Monday, July 28, 2008
China and Energy
Great article in the WaPost this morning describing the growing car culture in China. The true scope of the energy challenges before us comes into sharp relief when one considers that even if only ten percent more of China's citizens move into the middle class, we're talking about 130 million people. We cannot drill our way to energy security, we cannot conserve our way to energy security, we cannot blow our way to energy security, we cannot shine our way to energy security and we cannot radiate our way to energy security. We can however, achieve energy security by pursuing a balanced portfolio of energy alternatives. Reliance on foreign oil in the face of huge increases in demand in the developing world is a plan doomed to fail, a plan that will hobble our economy, and a plan that will certainly result in a decline of American influence in the world.
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And yet another impending contributor to increasing demand -India's Tata Motor's "people's car" called the Nano to be rolled out this fall. The cost? $2500. What is interesting about this car is that though it is projected to be highly fuel efficient (~59 mpg), it will actually help increase demand for oil in another hyper-populous country. How? The low entry cost of the Nano will clearly let millions more people in developing "rock" was a bicycle or a motorcycle. I see a bad moon risin'....
Excellent insight, Cassandra!
This one got me thinking about your "Housing" Crisis post. Think there ought to be a corresponding bill to help all those people negatively affected by increasing gasoline prices as well. It isn't their fault that they bought less fuel efficient cars (truckers, farmers and the like excluded), oil prices were always supposed to stay low. They never could have anticipated that people in developing countries might actually want and then someday afford cars. As such, they shouldn't be held accountable for paying higher fuel costs and Congress should pass an SUV-Large Car Relief Act. Money for the nothin....money for nothin and my gas for free.
Funny, Mark. But your logic is right on. The entitlement mentality is strong in this country....
Maybe we could hold a nationwide car wash or bake sale? When foreigners arrive on our shore, we could have FTC interns at ports of entry selling cookies. Think Girl Scout Thin Mints (which should be renamed because they are so addicting that one can eat several sleeves in a sitting leading to anything but Thin....). Back on topic. We could rename them EntitleMints and use the profit to add to our national coffers...
Y. Enner, only if your Entitlemints have no trans-fats! And of course they must come in green, red and yellow as well as basic black. Come to think of it, the eggs must come from free-range chickens.
As I read this blog, I notice that you consistently fail to make any mention of capturing energy from pyramids, crystals or personal aura forces. Then I am reminded that I am reading a conservative blog where rational thought is a prerequisite. It must be somehow liberating to free one's mind of rational thought. I guess that's why they call them liberals.
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