Chrissy Ungaro '07

The benefits of oil are everywhere. So, too, are the problems its use brings about: war, economic disruption, and global warming. The problem will get worse as countries such as China and India continue to industrialize and spend their new wealth on automobiles. Here, Chrissy Ungaro, a double major in political science and environmental studies, talks about the surge in the number of automobiles in Shanghai, one of the most populous places on earth. For Ungaro, Shanghai is an example of what the planet faces because of its over-dependence on oil.

Removing the world's dependency on oil will be crucial in years to come, both for political and environmental reasons. My senior comp research included an examination of Shanghai's transportation system. Shanghai, with over 17 million people, will see vehicle use soar in the coming decades. This will strain global oil reserves and enhance the threat of global climate change.

However, Shanghai is regarded as a model of environmental and urban planning. Their public transportation sector is comfortable and accessible. Local officials have taken the lead in imposing high purchase and usage fees on vehicles, making public transportation a better alternative.

At the same time, car usage is still growing as Shanghai has moved factories and industry out of the city to reduce air pollution and congestion. This, ironically, promotes the increased use of cars in order for people to get to work. I feel China has a huge opportunity to develop cars that are less oil dependent or not oil dependent at all. Right now China has only 13 cars per 1,000 people compared to 114 per 1,000 people as a worldwide average. So China has a potential market for cleaner, more efficient, non-oil dependent cars.

The basic message of my comp research is that the world is in trouble, whether from a world oil war or from devastating impacts from climate change, so long as we hold oil-dependent cars as the pinnacle of industrialization and development. Cities should be built around people, not cars, and unfortunately there is a worldwide trend moving rapidly in the wrong direction.