Transition Towns Taken Seriously

Written by Jim Mochnacz on Fri 8th Aug 2008

Dear Editor,

Do you think the latest oil crisis and fuel price hike is just another scare and the danger of global warming is being exaggerated? Let's hope you're right.

But what if you're wrong? Doesn't it make sense to think local rather than reply on the politicians at national and world level to get us out of the mess they've helped create? The Transition Town movement is doing that. Fuel at £2 a litre or more should be kick starting us into the thinking that this is real and serious.

Peak Oil production and Climate Change must be fused together as common issues. The transition from an oil based economy needs to be happening now to mitigate against another, or even, a continuing economic downturn. Transition towns are forming together now across the country. Locally people in Street, Glastonbury, Frome, Langport, South Petherton and Wells are getting together to consider for themselves these two big issues before us.

Some of them recently went to hear Somerset County Councillors unanimously pass a resolution to encourage Transition Towns and give some weight and momentum to the movement.

How important is it that many more of us become aware and involved in Transition Towns?

Well - here are a few of the things in our homes that are made from oil - which remember is running out faster than predicted - aspirins, paints, varnish, carpets, CDs, DVDs, plastic bottles, contact lenses, computers, trainer shoes, hair gel, rubber gloves, washing-up bowls, electric sockets, plugs, shoe polish, furniture wax, bubble wrap, fruit juice containers, rawlplugs, credit cards, loft insulation, shopping bags, lipstick, PVC windows, foam mattresses, (anything) nylon - and lots more.

Fifty years ago, the world was consuming 4 billion barrels of oil per year and the average discovery was around 30 billion. Today we consume over 30 billion barrels per year and the discovery rate is approaching 4 billion barrels of crude a year. We are heading for "running on empty".

What sort of thinking is required for the near future? One local example could be that the number of carparks we will need in a future with petrol prohibitively expensive will be far less than today and so we could look into turning them over to allotments for the production of local food for local people.

In 2004 the UK imported 10.2 million kilos of milk and cream by weight from France and exported 9.9 million. Germany sent us 1.5 million kilos of potatoes and we sent them - yes 1.5 million kilos of potatoes. We imported 43,000 scarves from Canada and exported 39,000. The UK imported £310 million worth of beer in 2004 and exported £313 million worth. We also imported 44,000 tonnes of frozen boneless cuts of chicken, we exported 51,000 tonnes of fresh boneless chicken.

Alarms bells should be ringing in every national capital and in every local community. Are you hearing them? Check out http://www.transitiontowns.org/ and look up local contacts - or help start a Transition movement in your community.

Jim Mochnacz