Difficult choices are ahead...

As oil prices continue to rise, it's easy to look around and take note of the effect. Most obvious, is the pain you feel at the pump. However, the cost of oil-based fuels touch almost every good we buy. Food costs increase because the trucks that deliver foods (and other goods) run on diesel fuel. Air fares increase because jet fuel becomes more expensive. Potentially all petroleum-based products (e.g. asphalt, kerosene, plastics, and even tar) may rise in cost.

Gasoline

It's not difficult to imagine that soon the cascading effect of rising oil prices (and by extension gasoline) will cause us to make other difficult choices. Perhaps you'll reconsider the purchase of that SUV you've been eying. Or maybe you already own an SUV, and you're thinking about trading it for a sub-compact. Hybrid vehicles are growing in popularity because of their improved fuel economy, and the high cost of gasoline; however, there seems to be a premium for those types of vehicles as well. Some Analysts predict that gasoline will exceed four dollars per gallon before the end of summer. Something has to be done...

So what, if anything, can we do as a nation? Well, there are alternatives to gasoline...

Biodiesel

Biodiesel refers to a non-petroleum-based diesel fuel consisting of short chain alkyl (methyl or ethyl) esters, typically made by transesterification of vegetable oils or animal fats, which can be used (alone, or blended with conventional petrodiesel) in unmodified diesel-engine vehicles.

Ethanol

Ethanol fuel is ethanol (ethyl alcohol), the same type of alcohol found in alcoholic beverages. It can be used as a fuel, mainly as a biofuel alternative to gasoline, and is widely used in cars in Brazil. Because it is easy to manufacture and process, and can be made from very common materials, such as sugar cane, it is steadily becoming a promising alternative to gasoline throughout much of the world.

Conclusion

 
We could start building vehicles that burn fuel that is totally independent of oil production. So why don't we? Good question... The answer is... Greed. Oil companies, who seem to report record profits when oil prices are up, are making too much money from oil to allow any alternative fuel to be used. Oil companies are notorious for buying patents for vehicles that could free us of our dependence on oil, and burrying them.

The sad truth is, that until we reach a critical point, where the world's oil supply is so diminished that there is no choice but to pursue alternatives, we'll be paying those high fuel prices.