Khao Sod daily: Thailand must use less oil
One of the joys of writing for AutoblogGreen is learning about the ways biofuels and other alternative energy sources are being used and promoted around the world. We've mentioned Thailand on the site before (and I want to give a plug again to yesterday's post about Australia's Green Vehicle Guide), and it's time to see what else is new in Bangkok. The Khao Sod newspaper comes out in favor of the Thai government's continued involvement in subsidizing the price of diesel fuel and, more importantly, in telling people to use less oil.
It is important for this kind of message to be promoted in "developing" countries (I hate using that phrase when the culture we're talking about is thousands of years old, but you know what I mean), where even a slight increase in motorized traffic over bicycles or walking can mean a huge increase in the amount of petroleum a country needs. How the message is received and followed is another story, but having domestic sources say "the country as a whole that will suffer if people continue their extravagant lifestyles", as the Khao Sod does, is worth hearing. It's good advice here in the "developed" areas of the world, too.
[Source: Khao Sod]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Phil L. 4:13PM (5/09/2006)
The Bangkok Times link doesn't work... though it may be their fault; I had several problems on their site.
I'll jump in without the article text anyway: Subsidizing diesel fuel on one hand and telling people to use less fuel on the other hand won't achieve any coherent goal. Please tell me why someone is going to go to great lengths to be more efficient if the government is helping pay for the fuel.
But there's hope - and realism - elsewhere in Thailand: Another Bangkok Times article mentions that the state railway system has instituted surcharges on some trains, to offset the increased cost of diesel fuel. Imagine a passenger rail system in the US adding a fuel surcharge. There'd likely be charges of corruption and complaints that politicians don't do enough to support mass transit.
Yet this is reality in its purest, simplest form: Energy costs money. If you use energy, and its price is increasing, you'll need to spend more money or find ways to save energy. More likely both.
This means the gas-pump induced hand wringing now in vogue in the US is ultimately pointless: The problem will solve itself as Adam Smith's invisible hand works its magic on the typical motorist (and, for that matter, all consumers). Personally, I'm enjoying watching all of this play out, even as I dislike the figures appearing at the pump. The charlatans and those pushing shaky science will be quickly flushed out, and replaced by those willing to develop real solutions.
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