I’ve gotten more environmental conscious lately. Whenever i tell people that i study petroleum engineering, i get occasional gasps and comments how environmental unfriendly these kind of jobs are. I’d put on my petroleum engineer image and brush off those comments.

But to be honest, i think those people who make those comments should be ashamed of themselves. Blatant hypocrisy! I think the world has a problem of viewing petroleum engineers as nose picking trolls who mine the deep ends of the earths and cart out barrels of oil and charge exorbitant amounts of money just for endless hours of after work orgy parties (sometimes i wish this was the case). And who are we really doing these things for? You, motherfuckers, you!

There is a global outcry of how oil prices are over the roof. A sign of our outrageous thirst for energy, luxurious and excessively affluent ways of life. We demand this, we demand that, we demand those things and a few more of that thing as if it was made by gay faeries blowing pixie dust while clicking their heels and chanting magical words, “Iggidity diggity poo, the skies are blue, it’s gonna be a shoe, designed from Jimmy Choo!”.

It’s ridiculous, and at the same time, the same people condemn oil corporations for exploiting the earth because we are motivated by our excessive profits. Where did those profits come from? You!

I’ve been reading the news of how there are awareness campaigns to point out Brunei’s excessive ways. It’s about goddamn time. Massive crowds come to the energy awareness festivals and left the place with long queues of vehicles, that burn petrol and release more CO2 (We’re aware but what’s the point?). We could start by calling anyone who owns a gaz guzzling SUV, like the hummer, a wanker.

This whole Brunei energy consumption thing has reminded me so much of back when i was a kid in Ugama (religion) school. My school is a normal primary school in the morning and turns into a religious school after 1pm ( i went to a different primary school). Whenever i come to class, i’d see a lot of food in plastic bags just sitting in the corner, uneaten and left to stale until the school cleaners takes it away the next morning. Pretty awesome, i always thought that it was unfair that students in government primary schools get free food of a piece of cake, an apple and a box of sweet drink for lunch while my dad paid thousands to a private school who didn’t even have a catering option. Anyway, I thought that hurling apples at poor victims below on the ground floor was frickin’ hilarious.

I mean, what are the bags of food doing here in the classroom anyway? obviously morning students didn’t give a shit about that. Even with the free food, i knew students would rather flock to the canteen to buy junk food and drink over-sweetened can drinks, which would end up fucking everyones health. Now that i’ve grown up, i found the behaviour appalling. I still feel guilty about wasting food that was given for free just so lil kids could keep up their concentration in class and build a better future for the country.

How is the petrol price situation any different?

Petrol is cheap, petrol is used to fire that engine to blow that air conditioner because you’re afraid to get sweaty, petrol is awesome. I have a job, i get a car, obviously a second hand is so yesterday so i buy a new car that is not only inefficient and in excess of what i need, i buy a car that is way outside my budget. I am 90k to 150k in debt for my car. I buy a loaf of bread and a pack of tic tacs and i insist on having a plastic bag. The geometry of the bag of bread makes it difficult for me to carry and i’d sound like a tambourine with the tic-tacs rattling inside my pocket so i need a plastic bag. Why oh why should i grab the bag on one hand and carry the tic tics on the other when i can carry EEEEEVERYTHING…. with one finger. I am heavily in debt, i am wasteful, i have no money left to build a house to shelter my children but i have an awesome car.

THIS is what fuel subsidy does to us.

It’s ridiculous to see people who can’t afford it, buy brand new cars to add to their collection. We‘re also the 6th highest CO2 emission per capita in the world. It’s ridiculous! Fuck the fuel subsidy and let the market run it’s course. Petrol is B$2.00 per litre here in Sydney, that’s about $90-100 for a full tank of fuel. It’s got quite bad in America, GM has axed 4 SUV factories and concentrating on medium sized, more fuel efficient cars. Sydney has seen a rise in small highly efficient cars.

Come on Brunei, i say fuck it. Let’s double the price, close our ears, wait for a few months and see what happens. If this doesn’t rise the cost, make people find cheaper ways to travel or at least save their electricity bill and change the way we spend, then we are truly the richest people on earth.