High energy costs and consumer behavior
Changing the behavior of consumers is the only way to make real progress in curbing greenhouse gas emissions. In a recent article in the Wall Street Journal Jeffery Ball writes that many consumers are beginning to change their behavior, but not out of concern for the environment:
“For all the talk about global warming, what is prompting Americans to rein in their fossil-fuel use isn’t the effect of their consumption on the planet. It is the effect on their pocketbooks.”
As fossil fuels continue to increase in price it’s now in the best interest of consumers to curb their energy use. The increase in the price of gasoline is the most obvious, as the cost of driving one mile has nearly doubled since 2002. Strong international demand does not appear to be lessening, and according to Lee Schipper of the University of California, Berkely “about 5.7% of the average U.S. household’s spending went to gasoline — a level not seen since 1983.” In addition to gas prices, American’s should expect utility company rates to rise because of strong international demand for commodities and fossil fuels.
This means one thing for the consumer: either become more efficient in your use of energy or begin paying the cost. The economics are forcing people to change their ways, but this will be a change for the good. Even if energy prices begin to fall in the near future consumers should see the benefits of a more energy efficient lifestyle and continue this new found ecological awareness.
