Fill 'er up? The high price of gas is raising tough economic and environmental questions.

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Has your mom or dad asked you to carpool with friends lately? If so, you're not alone. People across the nation are watching with anxiety as gas prices continue to rise. Since November, average gas prices in the U.S. have gone from $2.22 to $3.07 a gallon.

There are many reasons for today's high prices. The cost of crude oil (unrefined oil, the source of gasoline) has increased, while oil-producing nations have decreased production. At the same time, there is greater demand from developing countries, such as China and India.

"They've really gone up," says Olivia Lackey about her neighborhood gas prices. A seventh-grader at Parkway South Middle School in St. Louis, Missouri, Olivia tells JS that her family "didn't go on [a vacation] this year because we didn't want to pay higher gas prices."

Seeking Alternatives

Fossil fuels--oil, coal, and natural gas--provide almost all of the energy needed for our transportation, heating, and electricity. They take millions of years to form and are not reusable. Burning them produces pollution and gases that contribute to global warming.

Still, coming up with alternative energy sources is not easy. Scientists have been developing biofuels, including corn-based ethanol (a colorless, flammable liquid used in fuel). But producing ethanol requires fertilizer made from fossil fuels. Many people say that solar and wind power would be cleaner and more efficient.

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Senator Hillary Clinton (D-New York), who is running for President, wants to boost fuel-efficiency standards to 55 miles per gallon by 2030. Republican Rudy Giuliani says that the U.S. should expand "clean, affordable, and safe nuclear power." But critics argue that nuclear energy poses a danger. Chernobyl, a nuclear-power plant in the former Soviet Union, experienced a meltdown in 1986. The accident spread radiation throughout much of Eastern Europe, putting people at risk for deadly cancers.

Limiting Consumption

While U.S. officials look for energy solutions, gas prices continue to rise. Monique Cortes, a seventh-grader at Twelve Bridges Middle School in Lincoln, California, points out that California's gas prices are among the highest in the nation. She tells JS that her family owns a truck, a van, and a car. "[My parents] drive the car instead of the truck," she says, "because it has the best gas mileage."

Has your family taken measures to limit energy consumption? Which, if any, should the government take?

Think About It

How might dwindling oil supplies affect the U.S. economy and national security?