Transition Towns
Posted by Marcus on March 30, 2009
Locally grown foods sold at a farmers market
So I just heard of this thing called Transition Towns, and I am in the process of joining one. The overall idea is to adjust to life without oil and with climate changes in order to make life “Post Oil” livable and even enjoyable. Read more here.
The first problems which come to mind are our oil dependencies in the areas of food and heating.
I am writing from central Illinois, so food is all around us, but delivering it to the rest of the country/world will become impossible. Industrial agriculture is also dependant on oil. Without our tractors, combines, and other oil driven machines our capacity to produce will be diminished.
Living in the mid-west is an exercise in suffering the elements. This year we had several cold snaps lasting for more than a week during which the temperature did not raise above zero degrees Fahrenheit. No amount of insulation would have kept our house warm enough without gas heating.
Further Post Oil challenges include but are not limited to transportation, medical care, law and order, art, and education.
The climate change element is something I am not certain we can completely prepare for. The idea of unpredictable weather patterns disrupting agriculture and displacing large urban populations is staggering. Does that mean the interior of continents should prepare to host millions of refugees? To do so while facing food and transportation shortages is going to be a challenge if we don’t have an oil free solution ready to implement when crisis strikes.
