Transition Towns feature in New Scientist

[Húrin]

One of the best responses to climate change and peak oil, the Transition towns movement, has featured in New Scientist.

I have been accused of not talking about positive solutions to our society's problems. Contrary to what some of the hysterics here may think I have little faith in centralised government. I think that projects at the community level can move quickly where national government is stuck by inertia and corruption.

The transition idea started in Kinsale in 2005 and has gone viral since then, being picked up most in the UK.

Here is the article itself:
Rob Hopkins: Getting over oil, one town at a time - opinion - 07 February 2010 - New Scientist

The founder of the Transition Towns movement explains why he is optimistic that we can survive peak oil and minimise climate change.

Can you tell me more about the Transition Towns movement?

A Transition Town is formed when a group of individuals gets together to ask how their community can mitigate the effects of a potential reduction in oil and drastically reduce their carbon emissions to offset climate change. The scheme has become so successful we now have 250 official Transition Towns and Cities worldwide, with many more interested in becoming involved.

Transition Towns have set up bartering systems like local currencies and seed exchanges; what other initiatives are they taking?

In England, Totnes and Lewes are setting up the first energy companies owned and run by the community - Transition Stroud has written the local council's food strategy. One group in Scotland has managed to get access to land for new allotments in their area and the first university scheme has just been set up at the University of Edinburgh.

You're about to launch an Energy Descent Action Plan for Totnes. What is it?

It's based on the idea that the way out of our current economic situation isn't to carry on as normal. We have to look at the local economy and ask what a town could look like in the next 20 years if oil production has peaked - "peak oil" - and climate change is a reality. So the vision for food might be that people have a local food economy with more urban agriculture employing local people. We then work out how we might achieve this. For instance, we look at the land available, how it is used and to what degree the area could be self-reliant.

and Rob Hopkin's response to it
Transition Makes the Hallowed Pages of New Scientist Transition Culture

[SAT]

Groan..... So you are an anarchist No wonder you were too embarrassed to admit it.

[ibis]

Yes, saw that one - interesting idea.

[Húrin]

Groan..... So you are an anarchist No wonder you were too embarrassed to admit it.

No, I believe that there is a role for governments. I just don't think that they lead, I think that they follow.

[Mitsui2]

No, I believe that there is a role for governments. I just don't think that they lead, I think that they follow.

Ceratinly they do in our case - waft a few banknotes under their noses and they'll follow you to hell...and drag the country with them.

[ibis]

No, I believe that there is a role for governments. I just don't think that they lead, I think that they follow.

That's often going to be the case with democratic politicians. At the end of the day, the politician who espouses unpopular ideas is not going to be re-elected - those politicians of yesteryear who did so successfully were often the beneficiaries of 'pocket seats'.

[toxic avenger]

That's often going to be the case with democratic politicians. At the end of the day, the politician who espouses unpopular ideas is not going to be re-elected - those politicians of yesteryear who did so successfully were often the beneficiaries of 'pocket seats'.

Argument for a (partial) List System?...

[Murra]

No, I believe that there is a role for governments. I just don't think that they lead, I think that they follow.

Well said. That would make a very good signature quote!

I would be very supportive of Transition Towns, but it seems to be a difficult concept to get off the ground. Well, it sounds good in theory, but in practice, not many people want to participate. (I would be happy to be proved wrong on this). It seems to work better in England, as the English were always much better at a community level, in thrifty economies, and in skill sharing - a carry over from the war times. The Celtic Tiger seems to have imbued in the Irish psyche a notion that greed is good, and that wealth (and the luxuries it can buy) will return.

[ibis]

Argument for a (partial) List System?...

At this stage of the game, I'm beginning to welcome almost anything that shakes up the existing system. I suppose we'd need to look at those countries that do operate a list system, and see whether their politicians are any braver than ours.

The advantage of our method is - theoretically - the Independents, and - very theoretically - the independence of TDs from central party control, although having looked at TD voting records, that latter really is purely theoretical.

[ibis]

Well said. That would make a very good signature quote!

I would be very supportive of Transition Towns, but it seems to be a difficult concept to get off the ground. Well, it sounds good in theory, but in practice, not many people want to participate. (I would be happy to be proved wrong on this). It seems to work better in England, as the English were always much better at a community level, in thrifty economies, and in skill sharing - a carry over from the war times. The Celtic Tiger seems to have imbued in the Irish psyche a notion that greed is good, and that wealth (and the luxuries it can buy) will return.

What would concern me more is that they're very close to being a survivalist approach. They're appropriate for a collapse of modern economic life, but such a collapse in a modern country like England is going to be so ruddy awful that it might well be more appropriate for Transition Towns to cut to the chase and start drilling their pikemen in the main square.

So, as a model that can be scaled up and connected together, they're a good thing, although there will be features that won't scale or connect - but as a model to be followed in isolation by individual towns, they're not really such a good thing.