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Politics : Rat's Nest - Chronicles of Collapse -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Wharf Rat who wrote (2855)	10/26/2005 12:50:07 PM
From: Wharf Rat	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 24248

Peak oil and permaculture Nina Ruski and Tim Winton, Burma Indymedia Peak Oil and Permaculture explains the dynamics of the impending peak in global oil production and the implications for our country. Declining energy availability will spell the end of global economic growth and the consumerist culture it supports. Permaculture is introduced as one of a number of related, radical cultural alternatives that can be adopted for the transition to a post-consumer world As long as we can adjust our consumption then things could be all right. Studies show that people are happiest when they have enough wealth to meet their needs and a few of their wants, but no more. Energy descent may not be so bad, if it removes a few of the things that are making us unhappy, while leaving us in a position to meet our needs. The challenge lies in learning to change our expectations and take on a whole new set of understandings and behaviours necessary during the coming era of decreasing energy availability. This is where permaculture comes in. Permaculture is the only discipline that has been created to deal with the energetic aspects informing sustainability. From a permaculture point of view, peak oil marks the end of the growth phase of global industrial society. This is a natural part of the life cycle of any dynamic system. First there is a growth phase, and after the concentrated, high-grade resources have been used up and total resource availability starts to drop, the system starts to decline. Permaculture is about learning the principles and practices that allow us to work with natural energy flows rather than relying on fossil fuels. Permaculture is only partly about growing food and living more self-sufficiently. Permaculture is a design science that uses the patterns of nature to mimic ecological systems. Natural systems have evolved for millions of years to maximize the energy available from the sun. If we are to live well in the post-fossil fuel world, we will have to learn to do the same. Permaculturists have organic gardens because it is a way to grow good food on a low energy budget. They use clever design to make life easier and agriculture more productive. When the oil is gone, permaculture will offer some of the best strategies we know of for maintaining high levels of well-being. Permaculture is undergoing a renaissance as a set of principles and practices for the post-oil world where individuals and communities can learn to live well while we ride the downside of the energy availability curve. ...Tim Winton is the founder and managing trustee of The Permaforest Trust, a not-for-profit sustainability education centre on the far north coast of New South Wales, Australia. (15 October 2005) It's hard to tell from the original article, but I think the short introductory remarks are by Nina Ruski, and the main article is by Tim Winton. -BA energybulletin.net