July 23, 2014

Don’t Panic at the Pump

Sometimes energy issues aren’t partisan, but are still poorly understood. According to the Spring 2014 UT Energy Poll, 84 percent of Americans say they are concerned about the cost of gasoline, including 83 percent of Democrats and 84 percent of Republicans.

By Sheril Kirshenbaum

Join Our Community of Science Lovers!

This article was published in Scientific American’s former blog network and reflects the views of the author, not necessarily those of Scientific American

Sometimes energy issues aren't partisan, but are still poorly understood. According to the Spring 2014 UT Energy Poll, 84 percent of Americans say they are concerned about the cost of gasoline, including 83 percent of Democrats and 84 percent of Republicans. Nice to see something we can agree on.

And it's true that prices are high today compared to the past... I remember when it was less than $1 per gallon of gasoline when I was in high school in the mid-1990s, which doesn't seem terribly long ago. Yesterday I paid about $65 to fill up my tank. Times have changed.

Still, we really shouldn't complain too much about the cost of gas if we're living in the United States. Consider this data from IEA:

On supporting science journalism

If you're enjoying this article, consider supporting our award-winning journalism by subscribing. By purchasing a subscription you are helping to ensure the future of impactful stories about the discoveries and ideas shaping our world today.

U.S. gas taxes are among the lowest in the world (h/t Michael Webber). I was reminded of this repeatedly as I was traveling through Europe and the topic continues to come up in conversations with friends abroad.

Sure we're paying a lot more than we used to at the pump, but let's keep things in perspective as we work toward improving energy efficiency while developing alternatives so we can become less dependent on fossil fuels globally.

Subscribe to Support Independent Journalism

Great science journalism requires human expertise, time, effort and creativity. And it costs money. That’s why I and the journalists here at Scientific American hope you’ll join our community.

When you subscribe, you are supporting staff and freelance journalists who are passionate about telling science stories that are true, important and compelling. Our editors and reporters are often experts in their fields, which means they understand the nuances of big discoveries and can untangle the breakthroughs from the hype. With a subscription, you are also supporting rigorous fact-checking to ensure the words we publish are precise and accurate. And you’re supporting original illustrations, graphics and photos that bring you closer to an advanced laboratory, an ice sheet in Antarctica or a space mission in orbit. You’re helping us craft other types of high-quality journalism as well: Our newsletters are carefully written, edited and curated by staffers you have or will come to know and love. Our Science Quickly podcast is based on original reporting, collaboration with editors and scientists and exacting production.

Subscriptions keep this engine running so we can continue to deliver thoughtful, rigorous and independent science journalism to you. In an era of viral misinformation, this work is crucial. If you value what we do, I hope you’ll consider joining us as a subscriber

Thank you,

Jeanna Bryner, Editor in Chief, Scientific American