Title: $20 A Gallon
Author: Christopher Steiner
Publisher: Grand Central Publishing
The Skinny: Forbes magazine writer, Christopher Steiner theorizes on the idea that because of the emerging demand from Inda and China, gas prices will only go up and as a result so will the price of pretty much everything.
Will you like it? Tough to say. It’s really interesting and he’s got a lot of info to back up his hypothesis, but ultimately it comes off a bit Chicken Little. That said, it’s informative and gives you an idea of some harsh realities that are coming our way when gas prices continue to soar.
Full Review: “$20 A Gallon” is the most horrifying book I’ve read in a while. Horrifying not that the writing is bad or not that it doesn’t hold your attention, but that it could actually all be true. It’s well written with each chapter tackling how things would change as the price of gas goes up. Starting at four dollars a gallon, which is where we were last summer, and ending at 20 dollars a gallon where honestly, the world is a different place.
We begin at four dollars a gallon where as we saw first hand, people drive less, fly less and ultimately have less to spend. I don’t know about you, but last summer, for the first time in my life, I began driving further to get to a better price on gas. It honestly surprised me when I began doing it. By traveling a mere mile farther from my house, the price of gas was up to forty cents cheaper! Crazy.
Once Steiner takes you on a trip down memory lane to “stay-cations” and people cramming into public transportation to get to work he begins to demonstrate how quickly things will change with just another couple of dollars added to the price of gas. Six dollars, people drop SUVs all together, begin driving less and walking places resulting in less vehicular deaths and cleaner air. Eight dollars a gallon, and the legacy airlines go under, people stop flying as much and Vegas will officially go bust. Ten dollars a gallon and electric cars will be everywhere, plastics will now be made by bacteria and corn and recreational vehicles will be headed for the scrapyard. It goes on and on, giving a detailed and pants-peeing representation of how bad things will become.
But then, just as quickly as it became horrifying, it takes a turn for the better. Finally, after all this time, governments will have to ignore the oil company lobbyist and get serious about infrastructure. High speed trains will be built making most air travel insignificant… High speed cruiseliners, fueled by nuclear drivetrains will take us to Europe in the blink of an eye. And new reactors will be built to supplement the gaping hole in the energy grid left by the collapse of coal. The future is nuclear, wind, hydro and solar and with that will come a world with cleaner air, although a serious stockpile of spent fuel rods.
All in all it is a good read. It does feel a little preachy at times, other times it feels he’s stretching. But it’s definitely worth taking a look at. If even half of the things he talks about come true, the future will be a whole new world and if you read this book, you’ll be prepared for it.
On a final note, sorry to say suburbs, but your houses will be worthless. The future is in the city and that’s where I am and exactly where I’ll always be.