Saving on Fuel Consumption

As the country gets bigger and more people make their residency here the demand for fuel increases, thus, causing higher prices for fuel. Gas prices have been increasing at alarming rates over the last five years. There has also been a significant increase in the use of fossil fuels. This year alone, gas increased to a whopping $3.21 average in the state of Alabama alone (www.gasbuddy.com). California had the biggest increase going above the $5.00 mark (www.gasbuddy.com). As long as our fossil fuel supplies continue to vanish, the price for gas will climb and with no decrease in gas usage, we may never recover.

What are fossil fuels? Fossil fuels, also known as mineral fuels, are hydrocarbon-containing natural resources such as coal, petroleum and natural gas (Fossil Fuels). Fossil fuel supplies are decreasing everyday. And even though the price of fuel has decreased in the following weeks, the United States is responsible for nearly one third of the world's fossil fuel consumption every year. Millions of gallons of gasoline are burned every day. In today's society combustion engines are relied on for the majority of our transportation needs. Some people might blame the Gulf War for a loss of fuel supplies. The truth is that we just use too much of natures precious resources and take them for granted.

There are several reasons for the increased gas prices. One reason is the cut back on the refining of crude oil. Firstly, the major oil companies regulate the output of oil to drive the prices either up or down. Another reason the gas prices have stayed so high is because of the recent war in Iraq and the increase in major storms including hurricanes. Also there were a record 26-named major storms that effected oil prices this past season (2005 Hurricane Season). Major refineries were destroyed and the President, George W Bush, decided to tap into the crude oil refineries for steady help. Now I want to point out that the current times are not great. People do not have the extra money to burn so trying to buy a fuel-efficient car such as electric vehicle and/or hybrid model with great US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) standards can be cost effective and keep money in your pocket. But remember that warming your home may deplete those extra dollars in the future. Further more, it doesn't help that the federal EPA took back the regulations on big city gas, which now allows big cities to purchase the same gas as small cities. We should be so lucky because the United States (US) has the lowest gas prices in the world.

When you think about it, cars really haven't been around for that long and scientist are already talking about fossil fuel depleting very rapidly (Depleting Effects). Folks need to learn how to be conservative and use only what they need and recycle what they don't use. Instead of driving everywhere, try to use other means of transportation when possible. Just remember the more fuels that are used, the less there are and the less there are the more that they cost.