If you travel the world outside the United States, more often than not, you will have no idea how much a tank of gas costs in a foreign country. You may see a station sign advertising gasoline at a number that looks much lower than ours over here. However, you should be reminded that they sell gasoline by the liter, not by the gallon. One gallon is 3.79 liters. Many of us have been told that gas prices are higher in foreign countries, via the news, but do we really know the cost of a gallon of gas in a different nation? The current price for a gallon of gas in the UK, after all the conversions, is $8.15. In Turkey, it is roughly $9.63 a gallon. Only in very, very oil rich countries do you see gas prices sink below $1 a gallon.
So, how is it that in the U.S. our gas prices have always been significantly lower than the majority of the world? On Treehugger.com is a startling, and thorough, exposé on why fuel prices (coal and oil) remain so low, and why they don't reflect the true costs of obtaining the material, refining, and transport. This post delves into what the actual cost of our tank of gas should be per gallon based on what goes into getting making that product available to us at the pump or when we turn on the lights at home. When you think about it, you realize that we have become a nation that is addicted to fossil fuels because the fossil fuel industry has joined with the government in baiting us with prices that we can't resist.
If Americans were to pay an amount equal to Great Britain or Turkey for that gallon of gas, I think it is safe to say that the general public would demand better forms of public transportation to get them around, and more of it. They would be clamoring for biofuels, wind energy, solar energy, and other cleaner alternatives, because these newer technologies are actually bringing their associated energy prices below those of fossil fuels. We wouldn't be so hesitant to leave the bed of fossil fuels.
I know the economy is tough, but I think it's about time Americans pay the true cost of oil, gas, and coal like much of the world does. I'm confident that it would make the public angry enough they would demand a change from a fossil fuel based economy to a clean, renewable energy based economy. Until then, America will continue to lag behind the movement to lessen human impacts on the environment because we are just too comfortable with our inexpensive fossil fuels to give them up.
So, how is it that in the U.S. our gas prices have always been significantly lower than the majority of the world? On Treehugger.com is a startling, and thorough, exposé on why fuel prices (coal and oil) remain so low, and why they don't reflect the true costs of obtaining the material, refining, and transport. This post delves into what the actual cost of our tank of gas should be per gallon based on what goes into getting making that product available to us at the pump or when we turn on the lights at home. When you think about it, you realize that we have become a nation that is addicted to fossil fuels because the fossil fuel industry has joined with the government in baiting us with prices that we can't resist.
If Americans were to pay an amount equal to Great Britain or Turkey for that gallon of gas, I think it is safe to say that the general public would demand better forms of public transportation to get them around, and more of it. They would be clamoring for biofuels, wind energy, solar energy, and other cleaner alternatives, because these newer technologies are actually bringing their associated energy prices below those of fossil fuels. We wouldn't be so hesitant to leave the bed of fossil fuels.
I know the economy is tough, but I think it's about time Americans pay the true cost of oil, gas, and coal like much of the world does. I'm confident that it would make the public angry enough they would demand a change from a fossil fuel based economy to a clean, renewable energy based economy. Until then, America will continue to lag behind the movement to lessen human impacts on the environment because we are just too comfortable with our inexpensive fossil fuels to give them up.
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