New Book on the Shocking Costs of Oil Addiction

"Our most basic common link is that we all inhabit this small planet. We all breathe the same air. We all cherish our children's futures. And we are all mortal. And is not peace the right to live out our lives without fear of devastation--the right to breathe air as nature provided it--the right of future generations to a healthy existence?"

--President John F. Kennedy, Commencement Address to Washington University, June 10, 1963, quoted in Lives per Gallon, chapter 7.

Smog. . . spills. . . wars--these are some of the costs of our oil addiction described by Terry Tamminen in his new release, Lives per Gallon: The True Cost of Our Oil Addiction. In its journey from drilling rig to tanker to pipeline to refinery to storage tank to car to combustion, every gallon of gasoline that we burn adds 25 pounds of greenhouse gases to the atmosphere. Worldwide, vehicle emissions account for 85% of all benzene pollution and 80% of carbon monoxide emissions. In fact, Tamminen compares our country's relationship with the oil industry to Faust's compact with Mephistopheles.

His tally of the economic , environmental, and physical health costs associated with our oil habit are truly astounding. Consider the six most dangerous pollutants in smog that we are all exposed to everyday:
1. particulate matter is petrolegum that hasn't burned in the engine, especially a diesel engine. Inhaled, it causes respiratory ailments, cardiopulmonary disease, premature death, and low birthweight babies.
2. volatile organic compounds (VOCs)--known carcinogens and reproductive toxens found in gasoline. Benzene is particularly nasty.
3. ozone--a leading cause of asthma; children are especially vulnerable.
4. nitrogen dioxide--irritates the lungs and causes bronchtis.
5. carbon monoxide--robs the blood of oxygen.
6. lead--although eliminated from most gasoline in the US in the 1970s, lead from fuel exhaust polluted soils along roadways, so as the soil dries out, lead becomes airborne and is inhaled. Also, lead is still present (in high levels) in aviation fuel and NASCAR racing cars fuel.

While the oil industry gets rich off the unprecedented price of oil and enjoys increasingly generous federal subsidies and while auto manufacturers balk at making lower-emission cars with higher fuel economy and stall the mass marketing of cleaner technologies, the people who live near roads and highways might as well smoke a half-pack of cigarettes a day. And the polar ice caps keep getting smaller.

Tamminen offers a compelling argument for cracking our oil addiction as soon as possible and achieving energy independence. To this end, we must conserve gasoline (see tips below), maximize fuel efficiency and evolve to hydrogen fuel. The oil companies and auto manufacturers must see that the health of people and the environment is more important than their profit margin.

Fuel conservation tips:
1. Drive at the posted speed limit.
2. Keep your tires inflated.
3. Turn the air conditioner down or off.
4. Avoid "jackrabbit starts" at intersections.
5. Use motor oils with "Energy Conserving II" label.
6. Don't "top off" the gas tank--gas expands as it gets warm and will discharge through vents if there's no space.
7. Travel light.
8. Turn engine off instead of letting it idle.
9. Use public transit to commute.
10. Don't buy high-octane gasoline--making this gasoline takes a lot of extra energy, and most cars can run below even the lowest octane offered at the gas station.