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I no longer blog on this site. You can now find me, my general blogs, and the work I am doing researching my forthcoming book on imagination, on my new blog.
Come find me at robhopkins.net
Archive for “Energy” category
Showing results 151 - 155 of 360 for the category: Energy.
28 Jan 2009
We are often asked whether the Transition model should be adapted to explicitly reflect what is happening in the global economy at the moment. This is an ongoing discussion, and one I will return to in subsequent posts, but of course, the intertwining of what is happening in the economy and the peaking in world oil production have been explored by others, as well as the recent observation that peak demand seems to have arrived in advance of peak supply, although peak supply is, of course, not far behind. One of the tools that I personally have found extremely useful over the last few weeks in terms of really getting my head around how economics works, has been Chris Martenson’s ‘Crash Course’.
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23 Jan 2009
The Local Government Association recently published a paper called ‘Volatile Times: transport, climate change and the price of oil”, which you can download here. It looks at the challenges faced by local authorities through the lens of peak oil and climate change, and is a very useful document for any Transition groups working with their local authorities. It starts with a clear setting out of the peak oil concept, and then looks at what Councils can do to respond. Transition initiatives, and Nottingham in particular are cited as case studies, the ‘Oil Independence in Oakland’ report is cited, including the great quote “quite simply, if Oakland is to reduce its dependence on oil, its residents must drive less”. A very useful document.
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15 Dec 2008
I once heard a comedian (I don’t remember who) say “we’re told we have to think about future generations… what have future generations ever done for us?” Although I try to dedicate as much of my time as possible to helping leave this planet in a better place than it was in when I popped out into the world in Chiswick Hospital many moons ago, sometimes there are jobs you find yourself doing that are so unpleasant and downright horrible that one does feel somewhat begrudging towards future generations. Like insulating under the floor for example.
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8 Dec 2008
While editing the Transition Timeline (coming soon), Shaun and I came up with the following from a section looking at transportation in 2018. “In addition, those who tried to flaunt wealth by driving a car everywhere and buying showy possessions increasingly became seen at best as rather selfish and passé figures of fun. Calling someone a ‘Clarkson’ became a gentle form of abuse, but one which underpinned how far society had moved away from the kind of flamboyant car culture seen 10 years previously”. However, over the last couple of days, ‘doing a Clarkson’ has taken on an entirely different meaning.
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24 Nov 2008
I was in London over the weekend, seeing a concert at the Alexandra Palace by the utterly wonderful Sigur Ros, which was indeed utterly wonderful. The next day, en route home, we went to Camden Market, and my eye was caught by this great T-shirt on one of the stalls. I had never considered Mr T a hero of the no-fly movement, but of course “I ain’t getting on no plane” was one of his catchphrases. Unfortunately Mr T wasn’t motivated by climate change, nor by the results of the Oil Vulnerability Audit he did for the A-Team’s activities, rather a sheer terror of setting foot on aircraft (something to do with his Vietnam experiences).
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We are often asked whether the Transition model should be adapted to explicitly reflect what is happening in the global economy at the moment. This is an ongoing discussion, and one I will return to in subsequent posts, but of course, the intertwining of what is happening in the economy and the peaking in world oil production have been explored by others, as well as the recent observation that peak demand seems to have arrived in advance of peak supply, although peak supply is, of course, not far behind. One of the tools that I personally have found extremely useful over the last few weeks in terms of really getting my head around how economics works, has been Chris Martenson’s ‘Crash Course’. 
