Chris's Forester Column, March 2009

‘The Heat is On!’ by Chris Wooldridge of Transition Town Newent

We have to make our own cakes

That once vast wilderness, the North Pole ice cap, is melting into the oceans after yielding key evidence that human activity is causing climate change. Deep in the ice layers, are stored the historic records of atmospheric carbon dioxide and drillings have confirmed we are moving into the first human-created climatic age.  In truth, unless we radically rethink the way we live, we will lose more than Bewick’s swans from Slimbridge.

Climate change is well publicized, but we face another global challenge, Peak Oil. This is the point at which world oil production peaks and begins to fall. It will be offset by the current global recession but makes little difference to our future. At current consumption, the oil that has enabled our high standards of living will run out before the end of the century. 

The Transition movement is very clear about solutions to this double whammy.  We believe there is time left in which to curb emissions but the world may have to accommodate some temperature rise. We support and encourage the 3 Rs: recycling, re-using and reducing, but our key message is for communities to localise their economies and to encourage local resilience. Currently we import our cake; sometimes we make the cherry that goes on top. In future we must make the cake.

If this sounds rather frightening, consider how local networks encourage friendship, industry and support.  The other day someone said to me, “I’ve got a great social life now. Since I joined Transition I could be out almost every night.”

We still need nation states to sign on to global emission targets and structures to guarantee social justice but it is the local actions of all of us that will count.

In future column I hope to explore these local issues in more detail.