Reply #70: We've had 30 years to do it without being forced, but we didn't

[NickB79]

Once the price of gas dropped in the late 80's and throughout the 90's, the American people by and large ran out and bought shiny new SUV's and other gas guzzlers. There were smaller, more fuel-efficient vehicles, but they were ignored.

It is nice to think that human nature would make us pick the wise and gracious options that would benefit those around us. We would have said no thanks to the tempting SUV's dangled in front of our noses in the 90's, no to the McMansions in the exurbs that demanded massive amounts of energy to heat and drive to, and no to rampant consumerism in general. We would have made the sacrifices and been a better nation for it.

But in reality, I'm afraid very few people actually think like that. We've dug our own hole and can't figure out how to stop digging.