Convergence 13: Transition Strategies April 10, 2008
Posted by Graham in : Powerdown, Transition Towns, community , trackbackLast weekend saw the Community Powerdown Symposium at the 13th Convergence Festival at the Cultivate Centre in Dublin.
Opened by John Gormley, Minister for Environment, Heritage and local Government, this landmark event was attended by about 100 people and saw the beginnings of a fledgling Irish Transition Network with a meeting of over 60 representatives from about 15 towns around the country interested in starting the transition Process.
Left: Minister John Gormley opens the Powerdwon Symposium; Right: Ben Bragwyn, Daniel Lerch, Megan Quinn, Jonathon Dawson Headlined by Ben Bragwyn, Co-founder with Rob Hopkins of the Transition Network; Daniel Lerch; author of Post-carbon Cities; Megan Quinn, Outreach Director of Community Solution and co-producer of the film “The Power of Community- How Cuba Survived Peak Oil”; and Jonathon Dawson, executive secretary of the Global Eco-village Network, the event brought together many of the most pro-active and dynamic change-agents in Ireland and beyond to network and attend workshops exploring strategies for the transition from oil dependency to local resilience.
To begin with, here are a few notes I took from the Friday night lecture by Megan Quinn, Plan C: Community Strategies for Oil Depletion and Climate Change.
Megan began with a response to some who say that Community Solution’s strategy of Curtailment is harsh by reminding us that in the West we depend on up to 300 “fossil-fuel slaves” each day to provide them with energy, food and shelter- oil has in effect become the oxygen of our society- there is an urgent need to curtail this extreme over-dependency.
Megan invited us to ask “what is it we want to sustain?”- the idea that “someone may come up with the answer” ie to allow the current system to continue, should be questioned because the world we have created with fossil fuels really hasnty served us very well. Even if someone in government were to offer “solutions” we should be wary because the real solution is in the community taking responsibility for itself. Therefore, we should ask the question, even if we could sustain the current system… should we?
The issue of motivation for change is very important: that we should in fact change, it is not something that is just a nice idea. In Cuba, the bicycles that became rapidly prevalent immediately after the break-up of the Soviet Union were readily abandoned for something more conveneient when the economy recovered a little and more local supplies fo energy increased because it was hard to cycle everywhere.
What is required then megan suggests is not just “sustainability” but courageous living. It is not going to be easy to change. Courage is not the absence of fear but the resolve to act in difficult circumstances despite the fear.
In America, Megan told us, she feels there is much more fear; but that we should remember there still are many different futures: “Things are getting worse and worse and better and better faster and faster”.
Megan reminded us of the scale of the challenge: many believe that to stabalise the climate, the world needs to reduce its CO2 -equivalent emissions to 1 ton per capita; the world average is currently 4 tons pc; in Europe, it is 10; in the US 20.
I was glad to hear Megan adress the issue of “preaching to the converted”- a common critisism of peak oil activism that was raised a couple of times in workshops during the weekend. She saw this issue as a distraction that is holding us back. It would be a tragic lost opportunity not to just work as hard as we can with those who are present.
She adressed the “Saviour mentality” the idea that the authorities will come up with appropriate responses - “we need to recognise that the leadership just isnt there”; on the other hand, she sees a danger in a new and younger cynical generation who believe that noone is looking after them - they feel they either have to run for the hills or do nothing. Is there no middle way?
How then to find an efficient level of action- it can frighten people to tell them to do much, but more often, what they are advised to do is simply not enough. Incrementalism is death - we simply have to recognise that we have to make certain changes. Small changes do not prepare us prychologically for what is coming; instead of reacting emotionally to all this we need to develop rational responses.
In terms of specific responses, in the field of energy in buildings, the new build regulations in the US at best saved only 30% of energy used- but only 2% of housing there is new build, so there needs to be a far greater emphases on retrofitting.
In the US, there is a serious car problem. Despite the emergence of 1 million hybrids in just 10 years, this is a drop in the ocean given that there is 750 million cars in that country. Hybrids fuel the notion that we can buy our way out of the crisis; in reality, the solution must be to reduce the number of cars.
Regarding agriculture, she mentioned how in Cuba, agronomists who were sidelined before the crisis came to the forefront afterwards and this is likely to be repeated here; in the future, farmers will be the most highly respected profession.
Currently, more CO2 is emitted from livestock than from all transport; while at teh same time, we are the only animal that does not spend part of its day producing some of its food. We need to withdraw from this system and create out own alternatives with home and community gardens.
Part of Megan’s inspiration comes from books by Arthur Morgan written in the 1940′ and ’50s to do with small local economies.
Many of our “good deeds” are cancelled out by our use of money.
“Community” she defines as a “low-energy way of having a high standard of living”.
The global financial system is collapsing so we need to invest directly in our communities and technologies that can support us- CSAs and community -owned energy farms for example.
People need to see viable alternative solutions actually working in practice; the “Community Party” is small but contains tremendous latent potential and power to effect change from within rather than above.
Megan’s inspiring talk ended with a quote from Thoureau’s “Faith in a Seed”:
“Though I do not believe
that a plant will spring up
where no seed has been,
I have great faith in a seed.
Convince me that you have a seed there,
and I am prepared to expect wonders.
I’ll post some more notes from the weekend over the next couple of days.
Comments»
“Currently, more CO2 is emitted from livestock than from all transport”
Maybe not.
According to the IPCC report of 2007, 13% of global greenhouse gas emissions originate from transport , while 14% come from ALL agriculture combined. If this is the case, emissions from livestock are considerably less than those from transport. Also these figures are derived from 2004. Emissions from transport are rising annually by 5% or more while emissions from agriculture are fairly static
It sounded like a wonderful event, I was sorry not to be able to make it. It is very exciting to see the emergence of the Irish Transition Network, and to see it starting to gather momentum. We just had the Transition Network conference in Cirencester, which was a wonderful coming together of people from all over the place, in a celebratory and re-affirming couple of days. You can read more about it at TransitionCulture.org. I saw Megan at Findhorn, it is so great to have a young, confident woman speaking so eloquently on these topics, we need a lot more of them.
Thanks for the great report, Graham, almost like being there.
“Hell is the truth seen to late” Anon
It was great to meet you graham and it was wonderfull being with a room full of people who are not insane or unsane as someone decribed us. I think i learned a few things during the weekend and megan put her finger on one of the most important, the near complete adsence of leadership in society in general. I believe we must provide that leadership even if it does run counter to our natural tendencies. “A DECENT BOLDNESS EVER MEETS WITH FRIENDS” Homer. I believe time is to short to be doing anything other than shouting “FIRE” as loud as we can. Anyway I need a permaculture course but I do not have the time to come and do it with you any sugestions. Michael