December’s UN climate talks in Copenhagen failed to failed to produce a strong, binding agreement to cut carbon-dioxide emissions. Most Americans are painfully aware that burning fossil fuel contributes to increasing CO2 levels, pollution and climate change, but did you know we’re starting to run low?
Fossil fuels are not in endless supply under the earth’s crust, many experts feel we’ve already passed peak production. As demand for petroleum and petroleum based products continue, the costs will continue to rise. We’ve got to prepare for the time when cheap oil is not longer an option.
Peak oil and climate change can easily leave one feeling depressed and disempowered. Most of us avoid thinking of what it will be like when the oil runs out or becomes prohibitively expensive. But, without a doubt, we will see this happen within this decade.
With crisis comes opportunity. The silver lining to this crisis can be seen in a new concept called Transition. Not just another “green” group, Transition focuses on creating awareness of sustainable living along with building local resilience. The focus of our lives will become increasingly local and small scale as we come to terms with the real implications of the energy crisis we are heading into in the not so distant future.
Transition Towns started in the UK back in 2005 by permaculture designer, Rob Hopkins and others. Similar transition initiatives are springing up in communities across the US and throughout the world. There is a Transition US organization to serve the growth of Transition Initiatives.
John Bell of Ossining has taken on the task of getting Transition Westchester started.
He’s set up a series of film screenings in both northern and southern Westchester counties over the first 3 months of 2010 along with some organizing meetings for those who wish to get involved in a leadership role.
John is not your typical tree hugging liberal granola crunching greenie. He hails from Houston Texas, with a PhD in Chemistry and has worked with both the oil industry and agricultural chemical industry for more than 30 years. John’s “aha” moment happened when he read William Kunstler’s book, The Long Emergency.
“Transition is the best way to prepare for an unexpected future”John Bell
Transition is hopeful: a life without oil could be far more enjoyable and fulfilling than the present. By shifting our mindset, we can recognize this to be an opportunity rather than a threat. Transition helps us visualize a low carbon future that is thriving, resilient and abundant. One that is better than our current consumer culture based on greed, war and the myth of perpetual growth.
The goals of Transition Westchester for 2010 are to inform the public of the challenges of peak oil, climate change & economic instability and to start to build the structure for Transition Westchester.
To learn more, visit www.transitionwestchester.org
