How many cars do you need?

We are a family of four, with two cars. I work from home so one of those cars is really a luxury. I'm selling mine and getting a scooter for around town work needs and our other vehicle, which is a people mover, will be downsized to a smaller car. It will require some adjustment for our day to day travel needs, but it's the best way for a family to make a big contribution to reducing fuel use and emissions.
It amazes me how many families in our area drive SUVs for the school run and a bit of shopping! If more people gave up the looking good factor of owning a big flash vehicle, then we would all be better off.
Recently we watched a documentary called "The End Of suburbia". It is about the coming (or arrival) of Peak Oil and the civilisation-changing effect that the steady reduction of oil will have on all societies in the near future. There is no doubt in my mind after watching this film that it will be as catastrophic to humanity as Global Warming is - and is most likely going to have a more immediate effect. If the experts interviewed are correct and we have already passed world Peak Oil, then the next 10 years are going to be very rocky - we will likely see continual upheaval and conflict in the middle east as countries scramble for control of the last scraps of relatively accessible oil. Dick Cheney has publicly stated that there will be no end to this war in our lifetime.
A reduction in oil dependency now should be a top priority for the NZ government, rather than the current pre-occupation over some squalid, pathetic argument between 2 ministers!

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