Editor,
I've recently noticed a discontented murmur interrupting the noise of screaming engines and car horns we've become accustomed to hearing on our roads.
Every time we pass a gas station, we let out a small groan at the sight of steadily increasing gas prices. Helpless to do anything about the price, we indignantly question how an unidentified "they" can get away with charging us so much for one of life's necessities.
Unfortunately, if we consider factors apart from oil companies and politicians who don't always act in our best interests, we begin to realize that human greed isn't the only reason for the $3 gallon of gas, and that the problem isn't as easy to fix as sanctioning megacorporations and electing clean officials.
Consider instead that global demand for petroleum has increased exponentially for some time, and that the massive populations of China, India and other developing nations are beginning to consume oil at the same rates the United States and Europe do.
Then consider that rather than finding more oil fields to keep up with demand, most countries' oil production is in decline. United States oil production peaked in the early 1970s and has steadily declined ever since. This - along with our world-leading demand - is why we're so dependent on countries like Iran, Saudi Arabia, Iraq and Venezuela to keep our economy and daily lives functioning.
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Rapidly accelerating oil demand in the face of leveling supplies has several potential consequences - go to Wikipedia's "peak oil" entry to learn about optimistic, pessimistic and likely scenarios - but one thing is virtually certain: Those gas prices, and the groans they elicit in drivers, aren't coming down much in the near future - in fact, they're probably going up.
Our generation was raised on $1 per gallon gas, and we've grown up using our cars for virtually any length of trip. Unfortunately, the world is changing, and this lifestyle is becoming increasingly costly. As even our oil-bred president has acknowledged, our oil dependence has become unreasonably expensive and dangerous, and parts of our lives will need to change soon.
One small, first step in that direction would be for UNM students to bike to school at a greater rate. Considering Albuquerque's gorgeous year-round weather and abundant bike paths, the number of students who bike to school is abysmally low.
Although UNM is considered by some to be a commuter campus, many students who live within a bike-accessible distance instead choose to drive.
Anyone living within five miles of campus should be able to bike to school in only a little more time than it takes to drive. This minor lifestyle change would decrease oil consumption, put gas money back in students' pockets, decrease pollution and improve students' health, both by removing the stress of driving in traffic and adding physical activity to the daily routine.
If you're interested in taking a first step toward a healthy lifestyle change, please refer to the City of Albuquerque's biking Web site, www.cabq.gov/bike, for a list of biking routes.
Josh Tybur
UNM student
