" It had never occurred to me that we could run out of gas. I thought it would always be there, but it was made clear to me that it was a disappearing resource. It makes me wonder exactly how much preparation has gone into making oil last, and then eventually switching to another form of energy. .
When I did a little research for this topic, I soon realized how big the problem of depleting oil could potentially be. If gasoline disappeared twenty years down the road; what would that mean to me? This thought is one of the main reasons I became even more convinced that some changes needed to be made. I realize that hybrid engines won't solve the problem of a limited amount of gasoline, but it will buy us some more time to develop appropriate technologies in order to make a smooth transition to a more permanent energy source.
III. Current Resource Management.
Right now, Americans lives are very dependent on gasoline. Americans use over 131 billion gallons each year (www.howstuffworks.com). In fact, we are so dependent that some believe that how much gasoline we use both defines and allows our way of life. Our gas guzzling transportation system is essential to both our economy and the social lives Americans live (www.dot.gov). .
Business, for example, is so dependent on oil that shortages or slight changes in the price of crude oil have a large impact on our economy (www.ott.doe.gov 1). Businesses depend on gasoline-powered vehicles such as semi-trucks to deliver merchandise, without which they couldn't transport their products into consumer's hands. That is why they are so affected by changes in crude oil prices; they have no choice but to pay.
Also, businesses rely on the transportation of their employees, which causes them to be even more dependent on the depleting oil sources. In today's society, businesses have offices all over the world with management spread all over as well. Without the travel that gasoline allows many of these major corporations would be crippled in the way that they conduct meetings and leadership throughout their company.
