Greetings All,

I bought a Ford Escape Hybrid (FEH) last year, partly in response to rising gas prices. The vehicles were selling at somewhat of a premium, and I believe most hybrids at the time were flying off the lot. Since then, gas prices have dropped to more palatable levels.

Anyway, during that time, I started doing research on the phenomenon of high prices and discovered the concept of "peak oil." I'm sure people that buy hybrids are already familiar with the concept, but to briefly define, it's when half of all the recoverable oil is consumed. It means every day hence there's less. People studying the phenomenon predict great social, economic, and perhaps military instability.

So here's my question: How much do gas prices have to increase (permanently) before people change their habits about transportation, living, and consumerism. I ask because even when the price was $3.50 a gallon, I saw people still driving their Hummers.

I know people expect (and demand) low gas prices, and even in the scenario of higher prices, people will think that it's just a spike. What they don't know is that days of cheap gas are over. The oil infrastructure is already near or at capacity, but U.S. consumption is still increasing voraciously.

I'm interested in opinions of what people think may happen in the near future. Will we transition to new energy sources (and there will be many different kinds) peacefully, or will there be chaos and breakdown, or will it be somewhere in between?

Thanks in advance for your responses.

Jim