There are primarily three components to the price increase in oil from 1991 until today: inflation, which accounts for about $9/barrel, increased demand not only from China and India but also Central and South America as well. The whole world is-a-gettin’ cars and they’re burning a lot of fossil fuels. Also, we are running out of “easy” oil (the kind that shoots out of the ground when you stick a pipe in) and are having to work harder to get the oil that is left using more expensive techniques in harder-to-get-to places.
We can complain about oil companies all day long, but at the end of the day they’re just giving people what they want. Don’t like Exxon? Stop buying their product. Quit your commuter job and work from home making less money. Stop running your air conditioner and turn off your computer when you’re not using it. Shop at the farmer’s market and buy local produce. Ride a bicycle. There are many many reasons to disagree with the current administration (and the previous one!) but we can’t pin all of the world’s woes on them. Oh, and why are the Chinese doing so well and buying so many cars? Because of Clinton’s free-trade policy, so he’s as much or more to blame than Dubya.
