Peak and transition

With rising oil prices hitting home across Australia, I completed another Earth Matters radio show on Australian responses to peak oil. You can download the MP3 here and subscribe to the podcast here (host was experiencing website issues at the time of publishing, hopefully resolved soon)

Together with climate change and financial crisis, the phenomena of peak oil is one of many factors causing strains across the globe. It’s linked to everything from food riots in Africa to increased living costs in Australia’s mortgage belt.

Many analysts argue the recent escalation in oil prices is evidence we are close to a peak in global oil production which would bring the world into an unprecedented era of declining energy availability. In a society where everying from transport, food and consumer goods needs a steady flow of sweet black crude, the consequences are likely to be enormous.

Many people have Mad Max type visions when thinking about peak oil. But on today’s show we will explore some proactive responses at the government and local level. In fact, some of the strategies for dealing with peak oil and climate change lead to beneficial social and environmental outcomes.

Earth Matters first discusses the Queensland Government’s 2007 McNamara report, which was Australia’s first high level acknowledgement of the peak oil problem. The report calls for a “war-time mentality” to address the issue.

Elliot Fishman from the Institute for Sensible Transport warns of major vulnerabilities in Australia’s car-based social and physical infrastructure and raises policy alternatives being adopted around the world.

We then hear from Sonya Wallace, coordinator of the Sunshine Coast Transition Region which has joined the growing global “Transition Movement”. Sonya talks about creative and empowering strategies for developing community resilience in response to peak oil and climate change.

More information on the transition movement is available from http://transitionculture.org

Read an analysis of the McNamara report by Stuart McCarthy.

The lessons of Cuban peak oil

I interviewed visiting Cuban environmentalist Roberto Perez for Earth Matters.

You can download the podcast from the 3cr website.

With oil hitting $110 a barrel, Cuba provides a powerful example of how an industrialized country can survive a so-called “peak oil” scenario, where oil availability goes into an inevitable decline.

When the soviet union collapsed, Cuba lost a huge percentage of its vital oil imports.

The country also lost important trading partners which provided the country’s food needs and important export revenue.

Cuba was pushed into an immediate food and energy crisis, a situation compounded by long-standing US embargoes.

After responding to the crisis with a more localised economy and organic food production system, Cuba is now being celebrated as a model of self-sufficiency.

It was the only country in the 2007 World Wildlife Fund’s Living Planet report that met a set of criteria for sustainable development.

Roberto Perez is a cuban biologist and permaculturist who is currently touring Australia.

He’s been telling audiences about Cuba’s experience and what it means for oil-dependant countries like Australia.

More information about Roberto’s Australian tour is available at http://www.permaculture.com.au

Compulsory cooking classes in UK schools

In an attempt to rein in the UK’s burgeoning obesity crisis, the UK government has launched a policy making cooking classes compulsory in schools.

Schools and children’s secretary Ed Balls said the government wanted all 11- to 14-year-olds to be taught how to prepare simple and healthy meals using fresh ingredients.

Ministers hope this will encourage healthy eating and leave children less vulnerable to weight gain, as experts predict up to a million children could be obese within a decade.

This is a great policy no doubt. But I wonder how long Government’s will continue to implement good policy like this at the same time as implementing bad policy, like where fast food and highly processed food continues to be marketed to kids.

A more holistic approach is needed, and perhaps this is only possible where there is more local autonomy.

It would be great to see this kind of approach in Australia. Teaching kids to cook acquaints them with using fresh ingredients rather than highly-processed foods.

This has health benefits but also provides the important environmental lesson that we depend on natural systems.

The more we depend on natural systems, and therefore nuture them, the less we need the giant multinational food companies. These corporations profit from over-feeding us and who have the biggest ecological footprint.

Full article here:

http://www.politics.co.uk/news/opinion-former-index/children-and-family/compulsory-cooking-classes-launch-anti-obesity-drive-$484512.htm