Moving from Sustainability to "Transition"

In response to the threats of peak oil and climate change, thousands of people around the world are engaging in local "Transition" initiatives to promote resilience and "reskilling" to prepare for the expected "energy descent."

1 minute read

March 25, 2010, 1:00 PM PDT

By Michael Dudley

Transition initiatives are intended to get away from the language of "sustainability" which seeks to sustain existing structures, and instead promote "resilience", or the survival of communities. As Judith Schwartz reports,

"what began five years ago as a student project on lowering energy use in Kinsale, Ireland, has grown to 273 'official' initiatives in 15 countries...The United States now has 55 active Transition initiatives, the latest in San Francisco.

'Transition' is predicated on the assumption that society cannot keep consuming energy and other resources at our current pace and that we're better off accepting this reality and choosing how to adapt rather than letting ourselves get backed into a crisis. The idea is that the adaptation process can harness creative and even joyful possibilities that until now have laid dormant in our towns and cities."

FULL STORY: Stop Hand-Wringing About Peak Oil and Climate Change and Do Something

Thursday, March 25, 2010 in AlterNet

Energy World

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