So far their response has been tax cuts and getting rid of regulations. Two things they love doing. In Australia they’re giving subsidies to the oil industry.
None of those will do anything to slow our consumption of oil or help people change their lifestyles to match the circumstances. By clinging desperately to business as usual they will make the eventual change more wrenching than it could have been.
Instead, what if:
Short term:
Free public transport.
Free bikes for everyone.
Begin emergency repairs on any old busses that can be pressed into service.
Implement a priority system for who gets fuel:
Tier 1: healthcare, emergency services
Tier 2: food production & distribution
Tier 3: essential infrastructure (power, water, telecoms)
Everything else: on yer bike, son (or heavily rationed)
Ration fertilizer. A lot of it is wasted, currently.
Daily govt briefings - what’s happening, what is being prioritised, what people should do. Maintain clear communication and transparency.
Medium term (but start NOW):
Electrify all busses.
Repair neglected railways.
Move freight by rail and ship as much as possible.
Build cycling infrastructure. Secure places to park many many bikes next to train stations - big sheds.
Remove regulatory barriers for local food production, farmers markets. Encourage urban gardening, local trade networks.
Plant corn everywhere for ethanol.
Strategic reserves of critical medicines, etc.
Diversify food production - for local needs, not for export market needs.
Implement a priority system for who gets fuel:
Tier 1: healthcare, emergency services
Tier 2: food production & distribution
Tier 3: essential infrastructure (power, water, telecoms)
Everything else: on yer bike, son (or heavily rationed)
Now I’m not from NZ myself so I can’t be sure, but I do think most people who already have cars would revolt if told “you can go sell your most expensive property besides your home for scrap metal, you’re biking everywhere from now on”. No?
We’ll all be riding bikes in a couple of months anyway.
Might as well do it in a controlled and measured way rather than leave it to the market which will mean some assholes hoard it while people die from a lack of ambulances, etc.
Is it actually that bad over there? Most of the world seems to be chugging along just fine. If anything, the increased fuel prices should motivate more people to go electric or drive less, but there’s no imminent threat of an actual fuel shortage
Yeah, it wouldn’t go down well at all, especially considering public transport just isn’t an option for many people.
I genuinely don’t think Rimu has ever been outside of a city for any length of time, they’re remarkably out of touch with reality.
I’ve seen similar arguments on Lemmy about Internet, people think we can just run fibre everywhere, and don’t understand just how remote some people are.
