Cd, Our oil dependence is proportional to it's ready access. And always has been. The original deisel engine was designed to run on vegtable
fuel. It was redigned to use oil because there was an abundence of oil laying around. Prior to the twentieth century, no body had come up with a really good use for natrally occuring oil. Tar pits and areas that had high level of oil were considered waste land. You couldn't farm it well or do much with it.
You see simalarities in every area of commerce. In the American southeast we've always used southern yellow pine for framing lumber. Cedar was saved for nicer work. Out in the northwest by comparison they framed with cedar and used SYP sparingly. The difference for oil has been that only in America has the adverage per capita income been high enough for millions of people to afford the complicated machines that use oil. Now the world is starting to catch up.
Big deal, there are more then a few ways to replace our oil consumsion with other more avalible products. Everything from plug in lawn mowers to air powered cars. Plenty will change when oil stays expensive in comparison to other
fuels. Using a gas powered lawn mower is a little easier then have to move the cord all the time. Electric mowers are easier to maintain on the other hand. If gas prices stay high more lawn mowers, weed eaters, and other easy to switch devices will switch to electric.
Cars and trucks on the other hand will switch over to air power or ethenols and vegtable
fuels. Hybrids,
fuel cells, electric, Compress gasses can push people and product. It's mostly additude that is keeping us dependant on foriegn
fuels. When people decide that air conditioning on short trips around town is no longer important, or that driving fourty five minutes each way for an extra fifty cents an hour isn't worth it, we'll change in a heart beat.
There was once a time when the adverage American thought living in town was a real improvement over being out in the sticks. It starting to make a come back. Another turn around is house shrink. For decades the belief, reinforced by comsumer demand was that bigger was better in the housing world. It seems to have topped out at around 4500 to 5500 square feet. The adverage upper income doesn't seem to be interested in anything bigger and has started creaping backwards. To much house to keep clean and the kids more away alot quicker then any one imagines.
We will give up our gas guzzlers with out a second thought. That does of coarse depend on gas prices not dropping back to really low levels again.