Whatever the reason

John at Dymaxion World points out the bad news that Canadians as a whole have a poor understanding of Canada's fuel situation. But the good news is that whatever the public's knowledge level, Canadians consumed less fuel last year than the previous one:

Canadian gasoline sales decreased last year for only the second time since 1994, likely thanks to surging pump prices, Statistics Canada reported Thursday.

Canadian drivers purchased 39.8 billion litres of gasoline in 2005, down 1.4 per cent from 2004, according to preliminary data.

It was the first decline since 1994, except for a marginal 0.1 per cent reduction in 2001 when terrorist attacks on the United States disrupted the transportation industry.

It remains to be seen whether the drop will be a permanent effect, or simply a one-time reaction to higher-than-usual prices. But it's still a plus to note that consumption levels at least started heading in the right direction last year...whether or not the drop is based on a full appreciation of where Canadians gas comes from and what we pay compared to the rest of the world.