It should be easy to do, according to this report from Cornell University, "Low hydrocarbon diet." Like some of us change diet to lose some weight, we also should change the way we're using fossil fuels. David Pimentel, Cornell professor of ecology, and his students, write that stopping subsidies to the energy industries will stimulate energy conservation. They estimate that the U.S. could reduce their energy consumption by 33 percent in ten years if the policies evolve, resulting in annual savings of $438 billion.
Let's listen to the arguments of these ecologists.
American taxpayers could save an estimated $39 billion a year by insisting that the government end subsidies to the energy industries, according to Pimentel. He adds: "The next time you're pumping gas or paying the heating bill, ponder this: As high as fuel prices are in this country, they would be even higher without government subsidies to prop up the industry.
Instead of paying at the pump, every American family is paying about $410 in taxes each year for subsidies that keep gasoline prices and other energy product prices artificially low. This policy encourages greater consumption and importation of more oil and natural gas. Ending subsidies and pricing energy at its true cost would stimulate the use of conservation and energy-efficient technologies, and result in net savings."
This study was done between 2001 and 2002 when gasoline was about $1.50 per gallon. Now it has broken the $2 per gallon barrier, their arguments are even more solid.
Here is the conclusion of these researchers.
Saving fossil energy is fully justified because it would help reduce American dependence on foreign sources of energy and improve national security, improve the environment, reduce the threat of global climate change and save approximately $438 billion per year, which would help support the U.S. economy.
If you're interested by this study, it has been published by the journal Environment, Development, and Sustainability (Vol. #6, Issue 3-4) under the name "U.S. Energy Conservation and Efficiency: Benefits and Costs." This issue is not currently online, but check this link in a near future.
Source: Cornell University news release, May 24, 2004
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