I can remember when gas was less than a buck a gallon. I remember seeing the cheap station in San Jose selling regular unleaded for 88 cents! CENTS! It was, of course, over 20 years ago, but still, a crystal-clear memory. Today, in San Francisco, gas sells for more than $3 a gallon. Fill ‘er up? $50, thank you. Is it a bad thing? Is it unfair? Who knows. But one thing does appear to be certain: the United States is living on the razor’s edge economically. As hurricane Katrina demonstrated, the slightest kink in the delivery chain of oil & gas has massive impact on the costs of energy in this country and around the world. Gas prices rose 30% in one week, oil spiked $10 a barrel, and it is predicted that heating costs this winter will swell 50%. Even more frightening:

A study conducted by the National Commission on Energy Policy identified a shortlist of possible problems�political unrest in Nigeria, terrorist attacks in Saudi Arabia�and showed that taking as little as four per cent off the global oil market could cause prices to soar to more than $161 a barrel

How would you do if gas prices tripled? Of course the consequences would be even more massive, as trucking and energy costs would rise for everything, increasing the cost of - everything. As it is, inflation has already begun to weild it’s force, with gas already up 50% over a year ago. And with the tight supply chain of gasoline in the US (not a single new refinery built since the 1970’s), one false move (or one terrorist act), and we will all be paying the consequences. But what can we do?

A lot.

The choices we make every day affect our consumption of oil and it’s byproducts. Driving less, using less electricity and disposable items. Turn the heater down, wear a sweater. Open a window instead of hiking the A/C. Recycle plastics. Anything and everything we can do, we must do. Of course, the government must play a huge role in shifting our infrastructure to renewable resources rather than oil and other fossil fuels.

Sooner or later, the day will come when we are all faced with an energy crisis and/or a massive economic crisis as a result of oil prices. If we do not act now, the price we will pay will be catastrophic, a price measured in human lives, as well as dollars.