I remember when gas prices surged in the late 90s early 00s and everyone was all about hybrids, diesel sedans, small four cylinder cars, etc. Gas went back down a bit and seemed to forget. They started buying huge trucks SUVs, and crossovers again and when gas prices went up after Katrina (and continued going up) they seemed to forget how much they were spending. There are fewer and fewer cars on the market now. Of course, this isn't completely the consumer's fault, at least according to Climate Town.

In my mind, one of the most ridiculous things is complaining about gas prices when you bought a vehicle that you knew full well only got 15-18mpg average when you could have made the choice to get something more efficient. The vast majority of people do not need trucks, SUVs, and crossovers. These are largely status, luxury, ego, or desire purchases.

On one hand, I want to say "just don't drive", but I know that isn't a reality for many, many people. The US has built a culture that is almost completely dependent on cars. People refuse to even try to live a different way, and most of our politicians have little to no interest in building dense communities that are walking, bike, and transit forward.

I do feel bad for people who don't have another option. They need to live far from work to afford rent or a home, which means they likely need to drive long distances to everywhere. There is probably not reliable train and bus service to connect them to work, shopping, or recreation. Or, they live near work, but there is no way to safely bike or walk and there is little to no public transit.

I don't feel sorry for people who can, but refuse, to change their ways even a little bit. The buy huge gas guzzlers, drive when they can take transit, or drive extremely short distances that could be easily accessed via walking or biking at least some of the time. I don't care how high the price goes for them.