Drivin’ and Not Cryin’?

Saturday, April 29th, 2006

Drivin’ and Not Cryin’? looks at what gas-scare stories don’t say:

According to the Bureau of Economic Affairs (see chart here), American consumer spending on energy as a fraction of total personal consumption has declined considerably since 1980. Whereas 25 years ago, one in every ten consumer dollars was spent on energy, today it’s one in every sixteen bucks. In other words, what it takes to heat and cool our homes and drive to and from our jobs and vacation destinations is relatively less costly than it once was.

This goes a long way to explaining why even while gas prices rise this summer, and while they will be higher than they were through the 1990s, people will still be driving more — it’s much more of a value than it was a generation ago.

What’s more, so-called energy intensity is declining rapidly. That means we produce more with less energy. According to Economy.com, “The U.S. economy has undergone major structural changes over the last two decades, becoming more energy efficient, thus reducing its overall dependence on energy… The energy intensity of the U.S. economy has declined by roughly 40% since the first oil crisis” (as of 2001). (See Economy.com graph here.)

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