AS motorists watch the price of fuel continue its seemingly out of control spiral towards the $2 a litre mark, talks in another part of the world may bring some hope that increased production could provide some short-term relief.

The meeting of oil industry leaders and senior government figures from around the globe may well agree to lift production in order to satisfy demand from oil-hungry consumers, but a shift from reliance on oil is what the world desperately needs.

Every time there is a rumour or threat of war or instability in an oil-producing nation, world markets soar, producing unimaginable riches for the oil barons, and an equal amount of pain to the economies of oil-hungry nations.

Yet if you stop to think about what it actually costs to produce a barrel of crude oil, only then do you realise that production costs have in no way risen in line with demand or the price we pay at the bowser, thanks to a complicated parity system and the common denominators of fear, greed, insecurity and an insatiable demand.

All this only serves to underline why we must continue to look to break our reliance on the motor car as an essential means of transport, by better promoting our public transport options and encouraging people to walk or ride a bicycle.

And we must also continue to invest heavily in research and development opportunities for alternative fuel sources - be they hydrogen, solar, hybrid or some other option - before it is too late.

What do you think?

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