Beer vs. Petrol

I can buy a schooner of the same local beer at two different pubs, one down the road from each other. Whilst different in design, layout and food offering, both pubs are pretty much the same and the identical beer is poured into an identical glass and served at the same temperature at both venues. Each venue charges a different price for the beer and during the week, the price fluctuates depending on the day, and even depending on the time of day.

That’s beer. The same thing happens to a lettuce, a loaf of bread, a magazine, a can of fizzy drink, a cinema ticket and so on.

So why all the fuss with petrol?

Why do we as consumers, who consistently fail to put ourselves in a competitive position by buying bigger cars with bigger engines, ignoring public transport or even just using our own two feet, then complain when the petrol companies take advantage of our own stupidity?

Petrol is a commodity. If you want to pay less for it, use less of it.

BP's bullshit Solar Power claims

BP are currently running an advertising campaign entitled 'talk stopped long ago' in attempt to, after polluting the world since 1908, to assert its green credentials. One of these billboards runs the hook 'the biggest manufacturer of solar panels in the world', with the campaign tagline across the bottom.

'Wow,' you think when seeing this and the other adverts. BP have been doing a lot to save our planet.

Here's an alternative opinion:

Only in Feb 2007 did BP grant $8 billion over ten years to research alternative fuel sources. $8 billion is less than 3% of the company's revenue in 2006. Over 10 years it will be 0.3% of their revenue.

Further to this, they have owned solar panel company Lucas Energy Systems since 1980, but waited 27 years to grant further research into solar power. How many break-through developments in solar have BP made in that time?

BP was named one of the "ten worst corporations" in both 2001 and 2006 based on its environmental and human rights records. (http://www.multinationalmonitor.org/mm2006/112006/mokhiber.html)

BP started a scheme for car owners to purchase carbon offsets called Target Neutral. By 2007 it was running in a huge number of countries around the world - 2.

In March 2007, BP unveiled its Helios fuel station on Olympic Boulevard in Los Angeles.The station has radical architecture for a fuel station, and is a "living lab" for green technologies. Five months after the launch the solar panels were still nonoperational.

I could go on. But I think that's the point made.