There is a simultaneous debate in the country about whether or not to privatize part of PEMEX, the national gas company, for future gas station openings and such. The new conservative president, along with lots of other politicians, wants to, while other groups do not.
So, we have an interesting dynamic: whether or not PEMEX is partially privatized, Mexico is going to start drilling in the ocean. Is anyone thinking about the consequences of this? (I checked Greenpeace Mexico's website and didn't find much).
Of course, this is the trend in most every nation right now, a lot of rhetoric about alternative fuels but no real action, and especially no thinking about the fact that every year that passes there are millions more people. I read an interesting article in the NY Times about how maybe the problem with alternative fuels is not the fact that we are considering them to be a viable option, but that we are considering the wrong ones. Obviously, corn and most other edible crops (non GMO) should be used to feed people, but maybe sugar-based ethanol or algae-based biodiesel will work just fine (as long as we are not destroying natural habitats in the process). What we have to firmly decide is that we can't keep using petroleum, we have to find ways to produce energy without starving people as a consequence and that economic development and upward mobility of people will continue to increase the demand for energy, which really isn't bad since I believe people should have access to transportation and electricity and all of the things we have always had, but now through the correct application and use of solar, wind, biodiesel, etc.
Related to gas, since Christmas a new PEMEX station has been in process across from my house, and it should be opening fairly soon since the pumps were installed last week. The pictures show the view from my house. The property was once a huge house with a pool and a nice outer wall that shielded the neighborhood, and now it is pretty wide open. Some of the neighbors worked on a late response to the problem by putting up banners and holding some protests (Oscar made it to one, I was working) but their concern is mainly about safety with the gas so close to a residential area and an underground gas line or something. I'm afraid, however, that my neighbors will show up to buy gas there, as all of them use their cars all the time, even though a grocery store, a convenience store, several small corner stores, a park and lots of restaurants are in walking distance. (The funny thing about "walking distance" here in Mexico, though, is what people consider comfortably walkable. Last night one of my friends said she wouldn't walk the five blocks to the grocery store, nor cross the major road on the corner to go to the Red Pub. Yikes. I think we might need to start with the durability and functionality of legs to start to solve the gas problem.)
