The Rise in Gas Prices: How CdM Community Has Been Impacted
Photo courtesy of Karissa Beltran-Jimenez Location Chevron Newport Beach
March 18, 2022
The war in Ukraine rages as Russian attacks come more frequent and fatal. Judged by his decision to invade Ukraine and wage a war, Russia’s President, Vladimir Putin, is being heavily judged for the judged by the ongoing destruction. As a result, many chains like McDonald’s, Volkswagen, and Disney have halted production in Russia. Fossil fuel companies, such as Shell, have also ended their business ventures for the Nord Stream 2 pipeline and closed down their locations in the country as well.
Many U.S citizens are wondering how Russia’s recent invasion of Ukraine is associated with them seeing as the war was waged overseas. As they watch gas prices rapidly increase while filling their tank, the question becomes more persistent seeing as most of the U.S’s oil supply comes from Canada.
While that may be so, as of last week, the UK, Australia, and the U.S. have banned the reception of Russian oil, leaving remaining oil suppliers no choice but to raise their prices due to supply and demand. According to a recent article published by the New York Times, “Rising Gas Prices Have Drivers Asking, ‘Is This for Real?’”, California has seen the highest gas prices in the US; customers are now being charged about $6 per gallon.
This presents many issues to many U.S citizens because not all have the advantage of stable pay. In wake of rising inflation and the COVID-19 aftermath, Russia’s attack on Ukraine has not made matters better.
CdM junior Zhenni Heu’s mom drives her to school. Heu says that “every day [they] pass by the gas station” and her mom is like “‘wow the gas prices are up again’”. Heu said it’s easy to understand many people’s frustration, especially those with regular long commute times even while she and her family, in particular, have not been affected.
Heu adds that “a lot of people [her] age are getting their own cars and learning how to drive, but with gas rates so expensive, [they] can’t really go too many places.” Now, many new drivers are having to ask themselves if taking leisurely drives is “really worth the price”.
Ninth-grade student, Katie Winston explains that this surge in gas prices has also not helped many educators. She mentioned that there are a few teachers she knows that live far away, like 40 minutes, away from campus. Because of this Winston said, “I definitely think carpooling is a good thing”. She herself is “already carpooling with a few friends from school” and has noticed “mom is picking up [her] friends from school and switching off” with other parents as well.
With arising gas inflation rapidly increasing, many people have already begun making changes in their day-to-day lives to accommodate this post-pandemic economy.
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