[LINK] The Australian Economy Runs on oil.

[Tom Koltai]

> -----Original Message-----
> From: link-bounces at mailman.anu.edu.au 
> [mailto:link-bounces at mailman.anu.edu.au] On Behalf Of Gordon Keith
> Sent: Monday, 28 February 2011 9:02 AM
> To: link at mailman.anu.edu.au
> Subject: Re: [LINK] The Australian Economy Runs on oil.
> 
> 
> On Sat, 26 Feb 2011 08:46:57 AM Tom Koltai wrote:
> > Now would be an etremely good time for the Australian Government to 
> > stop exporting oil for parity, address the Taxation on petroleum 
> > [reduce it] and keep a balanced price at the pump. [Americans have 
> > paid the same prices at the pumps since 1982.] Some legislative 
> > interference mandating a maximum of $1.35 at the pumps 
> might possibly 
> > be in order until LPG can be effected wholesale.
> 
> Actually we'd be a lot better off in the long term if the 
> government was to 
> introduce a carbon tax that significantly increased the price 
> of petrol.
> 
> Since they don't seem capable of that then outside events 
> driving down the 
> supply of oil may be our only hope of responding to the 
> climate crisis.
> 

I agree Gordon, but my posting was more about the fact that if oil goes
over a certain price or becomes a scarce commodity, the "civilised
industrial" world as we know it ends.
BEFORE climate concerns can extinguish all life on spaceship earth.

I think we had a thread a couple of years ago on link about a bicycle
based economy and discussed cities in Europe that were being designed
predominantly around bicycle travel as the vehicle of choice.
As Oil is the main gear cog in our economy, all other arguments over
longevity pale in comparative Google ranking...