peak oil & grass roots
August 10th, 2006
The phenomenon of peak oil - that is the likelihood that the peak oil production occurred in the 60s and now we are in rapid decline - worries a lot of us. The end of oil as a cheap energy source is an economic crisis for the world, but it also spells a social disaster: for as oil prices soar, everything from food to consumer goods will be increasingly effected. However, it can also be seen as an opportunity.
It’s time to do something to free ourselves from over-reliance on the old system by developing our own skills and resources in sustainable ways.
In August 2006 Permaculture guru David Holmgren teamed up with author and peak oil commentator Richard Heinberg for a national tour. They were speaking about down-to-earth things anyone can do to alleviate the peak oil crisis.
The attraction of permcultural solutions relies on the independence and localisation of energy and food production. Local energy production and reduction through rewables like wind and solar, passive solar design, sharing vehicle resources and biking it mean less reliance on fossil fuels. Holmgren highlights the importance of food security. Modern food production relies overwhelmingly on fossil fuels: from the machines that cultivate crops, vehicles that transport it , refrigeration, right down to the plastic bags it comes wrapped in.
Holmgren sees living soil as the basis of food security: yet modern agriculture has killed the earth:, spraying all manner of contaminants on the soil and crops. Our home gardens are real opportunities to bring life back to the earth where we are at: by composting, mulching and growing our own foods we are returning life to the soil and eliminating some of those food miles that rely on increasing fossil fuel production. At the same time, growing your own food puts you in touch with the weather and the seasons in your region, placing the permultural concept of local ecological knowledge back into the picture.
Permaculture also focuses on the importance of reduction: consumer purchases increase your ecological footprint significantly. By reducing and creatively recycling what’s already available in your local area, sharing skills with local people, you can fulfil many of your needs while developing skills and reducing oil consumption. (Visit Reverse Garbage for some ideas!)
Holmgren’s permacultural prescription extends into the economy. New ways of trading including Local Energy Exchange Systems (LETS), Community Supported Agriculture and WOOFing (Willing Workers on Organic Farms) expands our human relationships while dealing with or economic ones without the destructive practices of being involved in an unethical banking industry.
Lastly, land ownership is crucial to the ability of a people to live self-sufficiently. Home ownership is becoming increasing unrealistic and is an unproductive use of land. Permaculture offers new ways of organising land ownership including co-housing and community housing which can offer the empowerment of community governance.
Heinberg’s book, The Oil Depletion Protocols, outlines his global diplomatic vision to avert oil wars and social disaster. Holmgren is coauthor of Permaculture One
originally published in Groundswell, the newsletter of Friends of the Earth Brisbane
Categories: environment |
