Introduction
There has been a continuous rise in the global fuel prices and especially at this times when there is unrest in oil producing countries. Fuel is arguably one of the prime movers of economy of any country and as such its price always has an impact on the way we live in the society. Fuel price increase affects us in many different ways either directly or indirectly. I will discuss some observations I have made on increased fuel prices on our local community.
Effects of rising fuel prices on our local community
One of the most significant effects of fuel price is the increased transport cost as Enzo reports on effects of fuel price. I have noticed that this has really discouraged travel and businesses in out community that heavily depends on transportation due to the rising transport costs. We have to accumulate issues that necessitate movement and move when it is absolutely necessary. My neighbor used to operate a fleet of taxi cabs but he shifted to other businesses claiming that due to high fuel prices taxi fares increase forcing many potential customers to use the cheaper public means alternative (Enzo, 2007).
I agree with a report by Enzo that due to inflation which is usually attributed to rise in fuel prices job opportunities decreases as industries cut on costs, cost of living has sky rocketed and I believe this could be the reason why we have many idle youths in our neighborhood some who involve in criminal activities. As companies and industries try to cut on fuel costs employee privileges such as company transport are usually withdrawn. The bus belonging to a freight Company used to be a common site every morning as we boarded our school bus but I never see it any more and the employees usually use personal commuting means (Enzo, 2007).
As people strive to cut on fuel usage life privileges such as driving personal cars is usually foregone. It’s a common phenomenon to walk on the streets of residential areas and find so many homes with cars that are rarely used. I have observed that cars are usually used on weekends but people prefer using public means during weekdays. Fuel guzzlers have now been preserved for the few rich. Those in the middle class level have to buy cars which are believed to be fuel efficient to save on fuel. Due to high fuel prices people often result to cheaper alternatives of energy. It is hard to walk in the neighborhood without noticing the rising number of businesses dealing with alternative energy fuel such as charcoal. Such alternatives are usually not the best since they are either at the expense of the environment or simply not convenient and easy to use.
If you take a visit to the local health care you will find exceptionally higher cases of diet related complications and problems. Medical specialists speculate that people have less to spend on meals probably due inflation and may find it difficult to maintain well balanced diet. (Haytmanek and McClure, 2010)
As people avoid travelling they find alternative means of meeting the same needs without travelling. I have observed a build of internet activities in our community online shopping, learning, and communication, inter net games, net meetings and others. I hardly meet my friends and relatives who we used to visit often simply because it is easier to meet online than it is to fuel the family car to their place. This makes me feel socially alienated since such means of communication hardly has any meaningful emotional attachment which I think is a reflection of the larger community.
However I have noticed with great appreciation what the rise in fuel prices have positively affected our community. As people think creatively towards cutting fuel costs noticeable benefits have been observed such as shift of businesses from transport dependent to internet based services. Paying of bills, online classes, online tutoring, online shopping web conferencing and many other applications which used to be done face to face are now online. My friend used to drive to the next district to teach a private student but now prefers online tutoring to save on fuel costs and time as well.
Car manufacturing companies have invested more on producing more fuel efficient cars which now dominate our community. Alternative sources to fuel energy have emerged with time. Solar panels have become a necessity of every building in our area as landlords try to provide cheaper sources of energy. Use of public means of transport which reduces pollution as the report by EIA suggests that “Sustained high oil prices allow unconventional resources to become economically competitive” (EIA, 2010, p.2).
Conclusion
Fuel prices has made an impact in our society with noticeable negative effects such as high living costs, health issues, loss of businesses, social problems such as increased crime rate and alienation and all these issues need to be addressed to ensure the community lives to the expectations. However positive effects have resulted to creativity whereby people invent better alternatives such as internet services and more efficient means of transport and energy use.
References
Enzo, A. ( 2007). The Effects of Rising Fuel Costs on U.S. Trade. State Research. Web.
Haytmanek, G and McClure, H. (2010). Mitigating the nutritional impacts of the global food price crisis. New York, NY: National Academies Press.
U.S Energy. (2010). Energy Information Administration. International Energy Outlook. Web.