Quote:
Originally Posted by Agamemnon
Definitely, though it might not be that simple. It's easy to blame the consumer for having a house in the 'burbs and leaving a large footprint, but at the same time, City planning has a lot to do with it. If you're out looking for a family house you have 2,000 suburban options and like 100 practical alternatives. I know that each individual has to change their lifestyles, but I also think it's impractical to expect the general population to magically change their consumption habits. Government regulation has to smarten up to provide sustainable long-term options for home-buyers/general consumers. Like the LED lightbulb change... if it were left to us I'm sure half of us would just use the cheaper incandescents, but the gov steps in and makes the change happen quicker through regulation (no idea on the controversial aspects of LED, just an example). I think government regulation is probably the better vehicle for prompting sweeping changes in consumption habits, but that's my opinion.
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Correct me if I'm wrong, but at least indirectly, city planning is a function of the will of the residents.
And no the general population can't magically change their consumption but we all knew high commodity prices were coming for about 5 years, people could have made adjustments, but Calgary inparticular bought bigger cars and moved to cranston in this time.
Anyway I for one welcome our $126US/bbl overloards. It will shape behavior in ways that are better for society.