Energy: Recognizing how much isn’t there
Politicians don’t seem willing to face a difficult reality: There is no solution, if by “solution” we mean producing enough energy to maintain our current levels of consumption indefinitely.
Politics
A terrible dependency of mind
As I watched snippets of President Obama’s town hall-style meetings around the country recently, I was struck by how often questioners demonstrated the mindset that solutions to their problems will come from some central authority, in this case, the federal government.
At the Café del Tercer Mundo in Berlin
“The words of the prophets are written on the subway walls
And tenement halls…”
They also emerge among refugees and Third Worlders arguing their visions in a scruffy Berlin café,
Military reports leading the charge in peak oil debate
“Fueling the Future Force,” published September 27, is the third military consideration of a future of scarce oil published so far this year. It states that 77% of the US Department of Defense’s “massive energy needs” are met by petroleum – but “given projected supply and demand, we cannot assume that oil will remain affordable or that supplies will be available to the United States reliably three decades hence.” To remain as an effective fighting force, the entire US military must transition from oil over the coming 30 years.
A day spent reflecting on Transition and the Big Society
Over 40 people came together in Bristol on Wednesday to explore what the government’s Big Society agenda might mean for Transition initiatives. What follows is my attempt to produce a clear record of the event, the ideas and the debates, as well as the suggestions for where this might go next.
Transition and local response – Sept 29
– The Rise of the New Power Co-Op Movement
– Transitioners: Leading the Way to a Smarter Future
– Skill Up, Party Down
– Transition in Scotland
– In U.S. Transition Towns, the Big Challenge is Bringing People Together
– Resilient Nonprofits
Truthtelling & activism – Sept 29
– “How to Boil a Frog” trailer (just out)
– Finding common ground at ASPO-USA’s annual conference
– Lakoff: Notes on Environmental Communication
– It’s time to talk honestly about collapse
– Stories That Light Up The Dark
– Small Change: Why the revolution will not be tweeted.
– How to start a movement (TED Talk video – NEW)
Twilight in the U.S. – Sept 26
– America is suffering a power outage (and the rest of the world knows it)
– 15 shocking facts show that the middle class is being wiped out
– In New Orleans, kindness trumped chaos
Oil dependence and Cuba
We [in Cuba] have indeed implemented a mass campaign to conserve energy, but I don’t believe that there exists a deep change in our policies or mentality in this same sense.
An open letter to MoveOn
It’s time to transcend issue-oriented politics and build community… “I felt that I was glimpsing the future of community organizing in America—organizing based not on hot-button issues, but on building relationships through deep personal sharing and active listening. “
ODAC Newsletter – Sep 24
Energy Secretary Chris Huhne has given the strongest indication yet that the coalition government is actually considering the possible impacts of peak oil. “We will have a world where there may be lots of shocks, we may well have oil price rises which are similar to the ones that we had in the 1970s, a doubling”, he told a fringe meeting of the Lib Dem conference…
A threat to burn the Koran and the role of the Transition Movement
When change unfolds, people want real solutions more than they want to hate. Our work helps people get focused on practical action, brings emotional rewards of connection and common purpose. Transition is an inoculation against human breakdown. It is inoculation against hate.
