I don’t get it

I don’t get it. All these protests about the rising cost of fuel, I mean. I just don’t get it. And I especially don’t get why the price of fuel has become a political issue in which allegedly left of centre politicians promise to bring the price down. It’s quite simple: Reality. Oil supplies are finite, and getting rapidly more finite. Therefore, the price of oil, although it may fluctuate up and down over the short term, is only going to rise over the medium to long term. We need new technology to replace our dependence on fossil fuels- or perhaps, as that Queenslander showed, a return to old technology. Probably both together would be best.

And have these people not noticed global warming and its cause?

Yup, sorry, folks, but it’s time to stop whingeing and start adapting to better technologies (old or new). And don’t tell me it can’t be done or the technology isn’t mature enough or whatever. There are interesting experiments underway- experiments that don’t eat up our food supplies– and vast oceans of unused resources- I mean, how much waste oil from fast food is needlessly, stupidly dumped when it can be turned into fuel?

And where is the political leadership? Does no politician have the balls to stand up and tell people that oil prices are only going to rise, these price rises are good as they serve as an encouragement to move to better technologies, and we should pull our heads out of our collective posterior, deal with the change, and start making these new technologies work?

Reality, people. Try it one day.

Oh, and just to make it clear: Yes, I do sympathise with people who are just trying to make a decent living and put bread on the family’s table. No, I do not sympathise with people who seem to think cheap petrol and diesel are some kind of God-given right. And considering the parlous state of the world’s fisheries, a Europe-wide fishermen’s strike can only be a good thing.

About the Author

wangbo

A Kiwi teaching English to oil workers in Beijing, studying Chinese in my spare time, married to a beautiful Beijing lass, consuming vast quantities of green tea (usually Xihu Longjing/西湖龙井, if that means anything to you), eating good food (except for when I cook), missing good Kiwi ale, breathing smog, generally living as best I can outside Godzone and having a good time of it.

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