If you understand the physics of energy, it becomes clear just how inexpensive gasoline really is. With a single litre, cheaper than a coffee at Tim Hortons, you can move a vehicle weighing several tonnes over multiple kilometres.
By comparison, achieving the same mechanical work would require mobilizing several humans, each converting chemical energy into mechanical energy, sustained over hours.
The issue, then, is not the price of gasoline itself, but our dependence on it, especially given that its true cost is only partially reflected at the pump and is instead diffused across the broader economy.
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If you understand the physics of energy, it becomes clear just how inexpensive gasoline really is. With a single litre, cheaper than a coffee at Tim Hortons, you can move a vehicle weighing several tonnes over multiple kilometres.
By comparison, achieving the same mechanical work would require mobilizing several humans, each converting chemical energy into mechanical energy, sustained over hours.
The issue, then, is not the price of gasoline itself, but our dependence on it, especially given that its true cost is only partially reflected at the pump and is instead diffused across the broader economy.