[Peakoil] "It will be worse than the drought"

[Leigh Kite]

Sit back and enjoy the crisis.  ;)


----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Keith Thomas" <keith at evfit.com>
To: "ACT Peak Oil discussion Oil discussion" <peakoil at act-peakoil.org>
Sent: Sunday, September 11, 2005 7:37 AM
Subject: [Peakoil] "It will be worse than the drought"


> The Canberra Times (in its guise as the Sunday Times) has the headline 
> today "It will be worse than the drought: How petrol prices are 
> threatening life as we know it".
> 
> The articles under the headlines focus on the string of towns between 
> Canberra and the holiday coast, predicting $1.70 litre by Christmas and 
> printing quotes like:
> 
> "It's not just tourism operators - no matter what business you're in, 
> everyone is suffering."
> 
> "People are going broke ... some businesses will go under."
> 
> The boosters are there, too, of course, and their words are worth 
> studying.  The south coast mayor is clutching bravely at straws:
> 
> "This area has one of the highest rates of population growth of all 
> [local government areas] in the country and we are anticipating much 
> more growth in the next 15 years." The reporter interpolates: Mr Hede 
> (the mayor) said that despite rising fuel prices, the region was 
> attracting enormous interest from commercial developers including 
> Woolworths and Coles. "I'm sure they've done their homework and have 
> factored prices into business models". He hopes!
> 
> Others back here in Canberra are predicting the stay-at-homes here will 
> boost consumer spending in Canberra, but the ACT Tourism chief 
> executive was less optimistic: "We need other people to come here. More 
> locals won't help our cause, it just circulates dollars around the ACT 
> economy and doesn't attract interstate dollars."
> 
> It is my guess that almost everyone who has booked their holiday 
> accommodation will still make their pilgrimage to the coast, but will 
> spend more money on fuel and less on everything else, including driving 
> around the coast, so that Canberra loses, the small towns along the way 
> lose and the tourism-related businesses on the coast lose.  The oil 
> companies will be the only gainers + the people who don't get involved 
> in motor accidents with (a) less driving and (b) slower, fuel-saving 
> driving .
> 
> The story is opening the lid on peak oil.
> 
> I'll letterbox today.
> --------------------------------------------
> Keith Thomas
> www.evfit.com
> --------------------------------------------
> 
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