Reply #12: You touch on the Big Oil Companys nightmares.

[Ready4Change]

I have become convinced there are viable alternatives to fossil fuel powered transportation, and that fully implementing them would be a boon to our environment. The only barrier is the comparatively low up front cost of fossil fuels.

To my mind that's the major reason oil prices dropped from the recent highs. The industry saw the momentum that was given to alternatives from that seemingly short lived blip of high prices.

The nightmare of the Big Oil Companies is that the world will adopt alternative energy sources while there is still recoverable oil, coal and NG in the ground. Particularly with nations like China and India just starting to drink oil in industrial quantities. Big Oil has been dreaming of the last dying gasp of oil and the grotesque prices they would be able to demand.

However, for example, say the USA starts buying a wave of electric vehicles. Consider that just about ANY car nowadays is an internation effort and you'll realize much of that car may be built in China, Korea or Japan. Since they are building them anyway, it makes sense THEY'D start using them too. (More sense for them, actually, as I'd guess their commute distances are shorter.) Pretty soon you have decreased oil demand and increased demand for public power untilities. Black gold suddenly becomes poisonous gunk best left underground and Big Oil needs to find another career.

Or, at least, so I can dream.