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Question 5
How expensive do you think oil will have to be to really make people change their energy consumption behaviour?
Steve Jones: £1.77 a litre for petrol would make most people think again about how they use their car, apparently. Relatively high fuel taxes here in the UK means that we are already twice as efficient as the Americans in our petrol consumption. So we are better prepared than they are for higher fuel prices.
My concern is that people are not preparing themselves for the fact that energy is going to become a lot more expensive in the near future. I think there is a big issue here about our own personal sustainability, as well as our impact on the planet. In my view anyone going out today to buy a big gas guzzling car is simply making a really bad investment. They are going to be worthless in a few years.
My money is going on solar panels and more insulation.
Question 6
What’s the single most important green thing that everyone should do?
Steve Jones: Most important? Information, find out more for yourself about what is happening and what is likely to happen. Find out for yourself, don’t take mine or anybodies else’s word for it. Change starts from you, awareness is key. My advice to anyone right now is read books like The Parties Over by Richard Heinberg then sit down and have a good long think.
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