Andy D'Agorne

This may not be quite the way that the Transition Towns movement envisaged it, but the effect is the same as the scenario of peak oil causing the wheels to come off the 'business as usual' economy. Having lived in South Yorkshire in the early 80's I know what recession is like - apprenticeships in British Steel in Sheffield plummeted from 200 one year to a handful the following year. Yet the governments around the world seem unable to think beyond pouring more money into the rotten system. Even at local level, councils including ours are pleading poverty because of rising fuel prices but dont have the cash or the political will to radically change the way we do things. Take for example yesterdays discussion among councillors and senior officers about sustainability targets for the coming year. Proposal to cut energy use in council buildings by 5% Yet we dont have a detailed energy audit of each building's uses. Is it achievable asks one officer. I point out that a 5% cut will still leave a 35% shortfall on the energy budget given the 40% price rise on last year, so shouldnt we be more ambitious, with a pledge than any savings over 5% can be retained by the department?
Politicians are still like a rabbit caught in the headlights of what is happening on the global economy. The solutions of Transitionistas, planting our own crops and building resilience in our local economies are right but can we put them in place quickly enough as the economy crumbles about our ears? Take a look at the film 'End of Suburbia' if you want to be convinced about what the effect of this current crisis and peak oil will be in the US -although produced in 2004 it clearly foretells the crisis that will come when the global markets realise that there are limits to growth because of finite resources - that is what is driving this forthcoming recession. See http://transitiontowns.org/York/NewsLinks for more about our local Transition towns campaign.