The transition to a greener future
Totnes in Devon, England: the start of a greener future? (Photo: Shutterstock)As the high politics of the COP15 are beset by disagreement, and mayors talk up a city level approach, we look at the usefulness of smaller units of reference: Transition Towns
By Peter Sims
Simply put, Transition Towns are communities where a group of environmentally conscious people act to reduce the town’s carbon footprint and fossil fuel dependence in order to bring about a sustainable future. They’ve been around since 2005, and methods vary as knowledge of effective measures grows, and spreads virally through burgeoning networks. The second Transition Town, Totnes, in southwest England, introduced a local currency, the ‘Totnes Pound’ to heighten awareness of the local economy, just one idea adopted by partner organisations.
The concept has been propagated by Rob Hopkins, an erudite former climate activist, drawing on his campaign experience to point out new solutions are needed.
“Activism, lobbying and protesting are the only tools the environment movement has had in the last 40 years, and they haven’t been sufficient for the scale of the challenge.”
In our relationship to fossil fuels and particularly oil, Rob Hopkins sees strong correlations to addictions, and consults addiction specialists in order to understand the processes of change. Consequently the movement’s bottom-up approach acts as a catalyst to unleash the latent capabilities within a town by asking questions such as ”Can you imagine Totnes beyond oil?”
Coined in 1998 by Colin Campbell, ‘Peak Oil’ asserts that oil is finite, and supply will therefore peak at the highest level possible, before eventually, irreversibly, declining. Arguments oscillate around the timing, with many predicting that we have hit peak already, while others see it in the not too distant future. Famed environmental journalist George Monbiot includes himself in the latter group, as he made clear in a Klimaforum lecture this week. What is undeniable by even the most fervent ‘denier’ is that it will happen. When it does, demand for oil will outstrip supply in a way unprecedented in history, and as basic economics dictates, prices will rise and rise, and then oil will run out.
Oil currently permeates every stage of our lifestyles from commuting to construction materials, and from the medicines we use to the foreign furniture we buy, and it is instrumental in supplying the food that travels thousands of miles to reach our bellies. So oil price rises will resound throughout our lives, as energy costs inherent in the smallest aspects are magnified. In short, localisation of production and skills will make a comeback, as the current advantages of international shipping are negated.
Take away oil suddenly, today, and our lifestyles would grind to a halt. As Rob Hopkins says,
“The Peak Oil concept is a mirror to society that says ‘where is the resilience?’.”
However, far from a doom-laden, post apocalyptic scenario, the transition movement looks to the future and seeks to build local resilience by reducing the precarious nature of our dependence. Their answer is to provide alternatives that build strength through resourcefulness at the local level.
Consequently, the movement looks back to the 1950s and beyond, before oil was so comprehensively entwined in our lives, and seeks to rediscover lost skills as well as using local materials and resources. Whilst careful to avoid overly romanticised images, Hopkins seeks to glean the lessons from such wartime ideas as ‘Dig for Victory’, when small gardens produced 10 percent of the UK’s food. As he says,
“People then didn’t have to take gardening lessons; they knew how to do it by osmosis,” says Hopkins.
While the movements are still in their infancy their main focus is entering into civic life in partnership with established channels to build awareness and engage the community. Talks and workshops help people to retrain in forgotten skills, whilst the local currency, tree plantings, and communal garden projects provide a tangible manifestation of progress. Eventually, once the creative potential of communities has been realised, they hope to take a hand in larger projects such as heat and energy provision. This constructive approach rejects the traditionally negative campaigns of direct action groups. As Hopkins points out:
“It avoids the them-and-us attitude. It sneaks in under the radar.”
Whilst Peak Oil is a contested concept, it is undoubtedly a powerful tool for galvanising people into action.
“People are more interested in what goes into their cars than in what comes out,” says Hopkins.
In his lecture on Tuesday, George Monbiot criticised its motivational value, saying that it encouraged apathy since it will happen anyway, and that by then our carbon emissions will fall too late. He’s right of course, and we can keep campaigning for government action until we are blue in the face and black and blue on our bodies. Meanwhile transition towns are preparing for the inevitable, and helping the climate into the bargain.
