A Brief Commentary by Doug Draper
I’ve often wondered how smart we humans really are as a species on this planet.
Humans and gasoline
There is no doubt we possess enough intelligence to take what we’ve learned from the past and apply it to addressing challenges we face in the present and future. But we don’t always seem to have the smarts to use that intelligence when we have to.
Take the challenges we as a species face with respect to energy conservation, environmental protection and climate change, for example. I’ve pretty well come to the conclusion that you could talk to people about driving more energy-efficient cars or about switching to public transit or renewable energy until the last tree is gone and it won’t do much good. A few people might listen and a few might even take the need for some kind of change in our behaviour to heart. But most will just fill up the tank with that stuff that comes out of the tar sands and go on their merry way, saying something like; ‘Listen to that tree hugger. He’s probably stupid enough to donate money to Al Gore or David Suzuki.’
But hey, give people a big kick in the pocketbook with sky-rocketing gas prices and who needs pesky environmentalists like Suzuki anymore! With the price of gas jumping above $1.30 a litre in Canada and $4.00 a gallon this spring, the executives of Ford and General Motors were recently telling reporters that sales of SUVs are tanking and orders for more fuel-efficient cars are suddenly washing in like a tsunami.
In interviews CBC Radio did recently with people on the streets as gas prices in the Toronto area were rising to a record $1.40 a litre, most said they will now seriously consider leaving their cars at home and taking public transit, or even doing more walking and riding a bicycle.
Pigeons and food pellets
Getting back to the question of how smart we are as a species, I can’t help but wonder how much different we humans are than those pigeons some of us read about in psychology experiments – the ones that performed certain behaviours depending on how many food pellets they did or didn’t get from those research docs in the white coats.
So why waste any more time getting into debates with people over green energy or climate change. Just sit back and wait for the price of gas to go up to $4 a litre and watch the pigeon feathers fly.
(Niagara At Large invites our readers to comment on this post. Remember that NAL only posts comments from individuals who are also willing to share their real first and last names.)
Niagara At Large 
Doug, you forgot to include the price of Electricity, which rises like clockwork every May1st and Nov. 1st in Ontario.
And that’s Before we start paying the $87B (at last guesstimate) to Replace our soon-to-retire Nuclear plants. And then pay to safely Store the Waste for 10,000 years … somewhere.
Interestingly, at the $.18/kWhr that we’re presently paying (for power, delivery & taxes), Hydro is now Higher than a Home Hybrid Solar-Wind system!
But nethinks it will still take awhile before we human pigeons really start to peck at this problem.
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Economists in general have been inoculated with the Market Place Bug and from this mania their heads are buried in the sands of time. The Book of Revelations (if one is religiously inclined) basically states a one world governance..We already live with this ideology as the “Stock Market” is NOW the GOD that almost completely controls the very essences of life and living through out the world.
Canada ‘s oil consumption has to be supplemented by imports while we are the largest exporter of energy (Oil and Natural Gas) to the U.S.A.
Gasoline at the reservation in Sanborn area of NY this morning was quoted at $3.89 – $0.05 for cash for a 3.785 liter gallon the same size gallon if purchased using Niagara Canada liter price would be 3.785 X $1.349 = $5.11 or a difference of $1.22 a gallon.
Though there is little change in supply in the USA and for that matter Canada speculation in commodity pricing is fuel by supply and demand in Europe and Asia and this is what according to Mr. Harper is the determining factor in Gasoline pricing in Canada. (the Market Place). In my opinion NOT a government or PM that is concerned for the welfare of Canadians except the multi nationals who control supply in Canada. Thank You Mr. Harper
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How many readers do you expect to read your well written column, get your Hidden? message , or, still go tri-trotting on their way waiting for someone else to solve this problem? just a thought but maybe they are either too(blank or too disinterested or simply feel they have no control over the situat ion because ? Would, may or cananyone care to answer these questions for me so I can just NOT GIVE A DAMN!!!
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