that 1.51 you see is $8.63 a gallon US!!

At 1.51 Euro per liter, gas is $8.63 a gallon over here in Europe.  Somehow, in spite of this, and in spite of the challenges presented by the Euro due to the crisis in Greece and other countries, the German economy is doing well.  Economic growth, it appears, isn’t always tied to cheap oil.

How has this happened?  In part it’s happened because the German government has seen the writing on the wall, the reality that black gold won’t pour from the ground forever, that reduced supply means a higher price.  They, along with the rest of Europe, have also believed the overwhelming science that ties Co2 emmissions to greenhouse gases, and greenhouses gases to global warming.  As a result, they’ve used the power of the centralized government to invest in rebuilding the energy infrastructure of the country, subsidizing and favoring alternative energy.  This led to a 50% drop in the price of solar panels in Germany because so many people have participated – (something about higher volume leading to lower prices)

As a result of these and other policies related to resource use, Europeans use 10-15 acres of resource per person, depending on the country.  The USA, in contrast, needs 24 acres per person, on average, to support our lifestyle.  What do we get for those extra 14 acres?

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