I filled up with petrol on Sunday night. $1.05 per litre, and that was with the 4 cpl supermarket discount.

Don’t count on prices dropping any time soon. OPEC admit they have no control over oil prices, with demand continuing to outstrip supply. And of course world demand continues to climb as developing countries embrace the motor car, and most governments in the western world continue to ignore more efficient solutions to transport needs.

Locally, the RACV from time to time calls for a removal of some of the taxes on fuel. I don’t see that working. A temporary retail price drop would only increase demand… and of course too much demand is precisely the problem.

Will production be able to rise, or has the last of the cheap oil fields been depleted, as per the Peak Oil theory? If the direst of predictions come true, western economies are in for a helluva jolt.

What we really need to do is give people alternatives to consuming oil. But what would convince people to cut their driving? Petrol price doubling overnight and twice as many trains, trams and buses running? Neither will happen of course. If anything happens, it will be gradual change.

Bah, what can you do? Well, a friend who recalls the (created by OPEC) oil shortages of the 70s gave me the idea of leaving my car unused at least one day a week. I don’t do a heap of driving, but it can’t hurt to curb it further. So I left my car alone and unloved on Saturday, and gave my legs and my yearly Metcard a bit of exercise instead. Not bad — I’ll see if I can keep it up.

See also:

• Oil: why we must do more with less
• PTUA submission to the Productivity Commission Inquiry into the Economic and Environmental Potential offered by Energy Efficiency