This short essay will include a reference and link to a TED talk presentation regarding climate change and the destruction it is causing to our world. Sure, I know there are some who say that Climate Change is a hoax, these same people believe in a flat earth conspiracy, that the 911 was a government plot and they also voted and still support Donald J. Trump. So what does that tell you about their cognitive reasoning ability?

The facts are that our world is rapidly moving into harms way by the roadblocks placed upon correction by individuals, corporations, and other organizations whose focus is on profitability and power. Evidence of this danger is seen quite frequently by extreme weather patterns, stronger hurricane storms, more violent storm systems, extreme heat and cold seasons than in the past decades.

The validity of the climate change position is bolstered by the entire scientific community. They have consistently provided proof of the impact on our climate from these sources, yet far too many influencers are working constantly to blunt or reverse any gains we have toward correcting our harmful change to our climate and the warming of the atmosphere as a whole.

What are the Roadblocks

Two major Roadblocks to saving our world from the devastation of continued climate change are primary in the continued adverse weather conditions. First of these is the fossil fuel industry as a whole.

Fossil Fuel Industry

A recent TED presentation pointed out just how dangerous the fossil fuel industry is to the life on this planet. I will post a link to this TED Talk for anyone who is interested, later in this essay. But for now, understand that the fossil fuel industry is not your friend when it comes to discussions and actions regarding the climate change that is slamming this old world constantly.

One simply needs to review history of our supposed fuel availability impacts spread over the past few years. I personally can date my initial exposure to the perfidy of the oil and gas industry to the early 1970’s. Perhaps you might recall this as well? Yeah, probably not, considering that I am well over 80 and the mid seventy period was an early time of my adult life. Back in that time, most of our cars were either 8 or 6 cylinders, and their gas mileage was not that great, somewhere between 14 and 20 MPG, the upper was if you had one of the economy cars of the day. Anyway, at the start of this fuel crisis, gasoline was selling in the neighborhood of between 30 and 50 cents per gallon. Suddenly we had a “fuel crisis” because of the “Saudi Arabian Boycott” that occurred in the 70’s. Of course the major oil and gas companies and their propaganda organization the American Petroleum Institute (API) were the ones who gave the news media that information, so you can judge the accuracy of the notification. Gasoline became hard to get, the fuel restrictions established at that time was that you could only purchase gas on the odd or even number that compared to the last digit on your license plate. If the day was like 3 or 7 you were allowed to buy gas if the last number of your license was odd, likewise if the day was a 2 or 4 or 8 and your license had an even number. Gas shot up from that low price into over 1,00 reaching 1.50 at one point. Then after a few weeks, and long, very long lines at all the gas stations, the seething anger by the driving public at the long wait AND the high escalated pricing, the oil and gas folks declared that the Saudi Arabian government had seen the light and the crisis was ending!!! yea for us. Gas then began to drop by pennies over time. Finally the price at the pump, for regular, was at 95 cents, then it rose again to 1.35, finally dropping to 1.25 and hanging right there. Of course that was the price point that the oil and gas executives had marked at the beginning of the fuel “crisis”.

Another major oil crisis happened again in 2010 when gas prices for regular gas shot up to almost 6 dollars a gallon. That is the crisis that got me to thinking of a way to break my dependence on a bunch of money grubbing, corrupt men in executive office suites in places like Houston, Texas and New York City. At that time or course the hybrid vehicles were on the market and those were the only options to the normal offerings of Internal Combustion Engine (ICE) cars and trucks. So, I traded in my Buick sedan and my GMC midsized SUV for two hybrid vehicles. Those two cars reduced my gasoline outlay and dependence on the fuel industry by somewhere near 60%. But I was still stuck with having to buy gas at the oil and gas company’s manipulated prices. Crises continued to occur, but the intervening ones, between the 70s and the 2010 pretend crisis were minor, with fairly smaller increases in the pump price of a gallon. By that time, my wife and I had adjusted our lives to the reality of the perfidy of the oil and gas folks and went back to our GM cars. But the vehicles has considerably lowered cost of operation due to a far more efficient fuel usage during normal operations.

But, then came the pandemic of 2021 and the start shortly thereafter of the Russian attacks and invasions of their neighbor, the sovereign nation of Ukraine. Never one to allow a good cover excuse to go by, suddenly we were in another gas crisis and pump prices began that ever increasing rise in price, reaching the 6+ dollar per gallon in many places and between mid 4 and mid 5 dollar prices elsewhere. Again we had the price gouging activity of the oil barons reaching into our pockets and stealing again. Oh the industry, their “market experts” and the compliant news media all claimed it was the world wide market impacts. But frankly, we should have already recognized it was one more made up fuel crisis and the price manipulation activity by the fossil fuel industry.

However, this travesty continues today, because the oil companies believe that they have the motoring public brainwashed over the so called market impacts that the prices are still rising and falling, often changing prices more than once in a single DAY! They allowed the prices to drop from their 4, 5 and 6 dollar levels down to the low three dollar range, often hitting just over the 3.00 per gallon, usually around 3.15 or 3.25 dollars.

Well here we are into 2023 and not far from 2024, and these paragons of honor (I jest), in Houston, NYC and other locales for fossil fuel company headquarters, have continued to play games with pump prices. Just this past week, (Oct 7-10)I watched prices ranging from 3.699 to one Shell station that posted a fuel price of 4.259 a gallon for REGULAR fuel. WOW, and they continue to get away with that crap.

All the while, our Congress plays stupid political games, attempting to divert the voting public’s attention from their corrupt refusal to consider or act on legislation to benefit the nation and it’s people. And those who are totally owned by the oil and gas folks on the right side of the Congress (yes the once honorable Republican Party), simply deposit those big checks from Exxon, Mobil, Shell, and of course the American Petroleum Institute (API) the propaganda and lobby bunch. Of course the media has their hands out to reap those millions of dollars in “advertising” purchases from those same fossil fuel company executive class thugs.

So, what is the answer folks? Trust that the oil and gas folks will play nice and stop the ripoff of the public from their manipulation of gas and diesel prices? Sure, and pigs fly! Nope, don’t know about you folks, but this old codger has had enough and will be buying a new GM Electric Vehicle when the models I am interested in are ready for purchase. Right at this time, looking at the Equinox from Chevrolet due out in the fall and all models in the early Spring of next year. If I get sufficient information from GM about the small Buick SUV line, might even wait for those to be released. But when the full line of the Chevy Equinox product is ready, so will I be.

Financial Blocks

The financial industry presents another roadblock against the driving public, including the major banking groups, the Wall Street Firms and other interests in high finance.  These companies, provide lucrative loans to the fossil fuel corporations and they do not want to see more movement toward mitigation of our climate change, global warming, or any other impacts on the fossil fuel industry clients, because it impacts their revenue generation.  Banks and investment management firms providing billions of dollars in loans and other beneficial packages to the fossil fuel companies and they earn billions of dollars in profits from the revenues generated by those same companies.

So What can we do?

Perform an evaluation of the growing electric vehicle vehicles that might suit your requirements.  These new technology cars and trucks are becoming more and more feasible to offset the highly polluting Internal Combustion Engine (ICE) powered cars.  GM, Ford and Chrysler (Stellantis) along with other major manufacturers are moving into the EV market area with GM focusing heavily into this new area.  Their Chevy Bolt was, for several years, the leader in the lower cost EV market.  These cars provided a viable alternative to the high priced EVs that were available.  This year (2023) GM made a major notification of their intentions regarding the EV market.  With their new battery/power base, they indicated that the Bolt would continue after all, just revamped to use the new Ultium Platform.  The company would also be releasing the Chevy Equinox EV small suv in late 2023 and early 2024 which would be priced in the more affordable range, starting at 30,000.  The Bolts which were priced starting in the mid 20k range would continue in those price points with the new 2024 version of this popular EV.  

Along with GM, the other of the Big Three are also making commitments to the EV market.  Look for new affordable offerings from these manufacturers that will be targeting the average American driver/purchaser.  These American offerings will be met by the international manufacturers from Germany, England, Korea and Japan.

This presentation from the TED Countdown Conference in July of 2023 is a good source of the problems with the Climate Change Roadblocks.  Al Gore is the speaker, but his data come from the scientific community including the top climate scientists of the world.