1. High Wycombe Adapted from the work and presentations of Rob Hopkins

2. High Wycombe Agenda The Oil Gap Oil Security Peak Oil & Climate Change Ready to Change? Transition Initiatives Examples

3. High Wycombe The Oil Gap The Second Half of the Age of Oil

4. High Wycombe The Petroleum Blip 4km

5. High Wycombe Fact If the Global Economy grows at 3% pa between now and 2040 we will consume resources equivalent to ALL those we consumed since humans first stood on two legs. Total Oil Reserves were roughly 2 trillion barrels We burnt the first 1 trillion in 125 years The rest will be burnt in 30 years In 2025 the demand for Oil will be 60% higher than today…… yet production will have fallen to 1985 levels The OPEC Embargo in the 1970’s only restricted supply by 5% yet prices quadrupled overnight

6. High Wycombe We’ve Been Here Before

7. High Wycombe Discovery peaked 40 years ago Past discovery by ExxonMobil Past after Exxon-Mobil 3yr moving average 0 10 20 30 40 50 60 1930195019701990201020302050 Gb 0 10 20 30 40 50 60 Past Future Production One Barrel of Oil is discovered for every four we consume

8. High Wycombe Crying Wolf Peak Oil prediction has become subject to a myth of innaccuracy Of EIGHT reputable predictions for Peak Oil in the 1970’s (including ESSO, UK Dept of Energy, Shell & BP) the range of dates given were 1995 to 2000 Despite some outlandish claims for Oil Exhaustion by the year 2000 these did not come from Oil Geologists These were based upon known reserves and consumption rates The method of calculating Peak has been known about for a century whilst the figure for total eventual Oil Endowment has not changed for 40 years

9. High Wycombe Events Today May 22 nd – IEA (International Energy Agency) issues downard revision of the Oil Industry’s ability to keep pace with demand Predicted capacity was 116 million barrels per day by 2030 but now they admit it won’t make 100 million barrels per day Experts predict $200/barrel soon In July a fuel theft in Ireland lead to the death of one woman Gas Watchdog predicts 70% increase in Gas Bills for the UK US Energy Secretary admits “demand has outstripped supply”

10. High Wycombe What we are told now “One thing is clear: the age of easy oil is over” David J O’Reilly, CEO, Chevron “The world should forget about cheap oil” Venezualan President Chavez “The time has come to prepare for the ‘post-oil’ era, we must all incorporate this change in our behaviour and reduce consumption” French Prime Minister de Villepin (July 2005) “As peaking is approached, liquid fuel prices and price volatility will increase dramatically, and, without timely mitigation, the economic, social and political costs will be unprecedented.” US Dept of Energy funded report (2005) “I expect to see a peak sometime before 2015… and decline rates at 4 to 8% per year.” Jeremy Gilbert, former BP Chief Peroleum Engineer (May 2007) “We are addicted to Oil.” George W Bush Jnr

11. High Wycombe What Peak Looks Like Source: Association for the Study of Peak Oil

12. High Wycombe Oil Security

13. High Wycombe The UK: The Widening Gap Source: DTI

14. High Wycombe Gas? UK Annual Forecast & Import Requirement Source – National Grid

15. High Wycombe Oil and War World War II 1970’s – ‘securing World Oil supplies’ Iran 1953 to 1979 – ‘blowback’ Kuwait 1991 Afghanistan 2001 Iraq 2003 – today 9/11 and 7/7 High Wycombe – if you go down to the woods today… There is no war on terror? Opportunity cost – money better spent

16. High Wycombe The Growth in Biofuels

17. High Wycombe Oil, Money and Poverty Negative correlation between wealth & oil exports Higher poverty, malnutrition, illiteracy, corruption, authoritarianism, civil war & debt Strange choices: Wind versus coal Wind versus peat Where is the wisdom?

18. High Wycombe Human Rights & Habitat Nigeria Shell versus the Ogoni Ecuador Big Oil versus the Yasuni Leaving the Oil in the ground?

19. High Wycombe Peak Oil & Climate Change

20. High Wycombe Agriculture Extreme weather crop damage & lower yields All pesticides, herbicides, fungicides and fertilisers are made from petrochemicals The non-organic industry is dependent upon them Peak Oil will cause the price of these petrochemicals to rise and restrict their supply Yields will drop Food prices are going to rise

21. High Wycombe Energy Turning on the Air Conditioning is not an option Turning up the Heat is not an option Substituting Coal generates more CO2 Carbon is going to be taxed at source and/or at point of use Governments will attempt to restrict Carbon Fuel usage in order to meet international obligations

22. High Wycombe Clean Tech

23. High Wycombe Clash of the Titans Peak Oil can make adapting to Climate Change more difficult & vice versa BOTH impact our Food Chain Some solutions to Peak Oil will make Climate Change worse & vice versa The solution to Peak Oil is to use less Fossil Fuels The solution to Climate Change is to use less Fossil Fuels Hmmmm…………… now there’s a thought!

24. High Wycombe Ready to Change?

25. High Wycombe I’ll Change but… you first Governments assume that, if they just give the right information to people, they will act appropriately – however the public believe that the Government should initiate change – level the playing field Consumers are “locked in” to unsustainable consumption by institutional factors beyond their control – therefore the Institution must change

26. High Wycombe I’ll Change but… its inconvenient The public favour ‘sustainable modes of consumption’ but are only motivated if they personaly benefit People are put off by the idea of sacrifice, disruption to daily routine or any inconvenience Change is a social process offering social substitutes to ‘normal’ product & behaviour Consumer goods are key to aspects of identity, social cohesions and cultural meaning Reinforcing, connected, change in technology, institutions, behaviour, culture, ecology & belief systems take 25 years – but can be accelerated by a sudden, unexpected, one-off event

27. High Wycombe Readiness for Change Do not assume that everyone is ready for change People are a different stages 1. 1.Some know nothing and have no intention of learning more 2. 2.Some are aware and contemplating change 3. 3.Some are changing and are preparing 4. 4.Some people are changing 5. 5.Some people have changed and maintaining their changes Where are you?

28. High Wycombe Transition Initiatives

29. High Wycombe More & more…. & more! …and? Us?..

30. High Wycombe Organise Form a committee

31. High Wycombe Raise Awareness

32. High Wycombe Lay Foundations Collaborate where possible Co-operation, not competition

33. High Wycombe Official ‘Unleashing’ “Maybe they will tell stories about what happened in Totnes. Maybe this evening will be something that is the beginning of one of those stories”. Dr Chris Johnstone – TTT Unleashing Sept ’06.

34. High Wycombe Form Working Groups Up and Running Arts / Food / Energy / Economics / Liaison with Local Government / Heart and Soul – the psychology of change / Medicine and Health / Housing / Education / Transport

35. High Wycombe Workshopping in “Open Space”

36. High Wycombe Develop Visible Manifestations of the Project “Totnes, the Nut Tree Capital of Britain”. Tree Planting, January 2007.

37. High Wycombe Facilitate the Great Reskilling Skilling Up for Powerdown. Peak Oil / Climate Change, Permaculture Principles, Food, Energy, Building and Housing, Woodlands, Water, Waste, Economics, The Psychology of Change, Energy Descent Planning …

38. High Wycombe Build a Bridge to Local Government World Cafe on Peak Oil and Climate Change with Local Councillors Endorsed by Totnes Town Council Contributions to Local Development Framework.

39. High Wycombe Learn from the Elders

40. High Wycombe Let It Go Where It Wants to Go Solar Water Heater Challenge. The Totnes Renewable Energy Society (TRESOC) Lending Library NISP workshops TTT International Youth Music Festival Garden Swap

41. High Wycombe Create an Energy Descent Action Plan Start with a vision and then backcast Incorporate Transition Tales Base it on current planning documents.

42. High Wycombe Examples

43. High Wycombe Working with Business Oil Vulnerability Analysis Totnes first town in the UK to train OVA team and conduct pilot analyses. Working with Liverpool University Oil Depletion Impact Group. Two pilot studies reported back September 2007, more to follow. Endorsed by Totnes Chamber of Commerce

44. High Wycombe Estates in Transition conference. June 11 th 2007. Working with Local Landowners

45. High Wycombe The Totnes Local Food Directory

46. High Wycombe The Totnes Pound

47. High Wycombe Transition Tales

48. High Wycombe Using ‘YouTube’ to Communicate Transition Town ideas

49. High Wycombe Great Reskilling courses Wild Foods, natural building, seed saving, hand made paints, stove building, forest gardening, food growing, bread making...

50. High Wycombe What Next? ?