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PEAK OIL: "IT'S THE FUTURE, BUT NOT AS WE KNOW IT"
Date:
Sunday 15th April 2007
Time: 2.15pm to 4.45pm
Venue: 4nd Floor, Muslim World League, 46 Goodge Street, London, W1T 4LU (entrance on the corner of Charlotte Street); Nearest Tube: Goodge Street (Northern Line)
Guest Speaker: Stephen Watson (Powerswitch)
"... The conclusion is clear: if we do not immediately plan to make the switch to renewable energy - faster, and backed by far greater investment than currently envisaged - then civilisation faces the sharpest and perhaps most violent dislocation in recent history." Michael Meacher, Former Environment Minister (Financial Times, 5 January 2004).
The arrival of Peak Oil will, to some degree, affect all of us over the coming decades. It's the addiction 'elephant in the room' which few mention. Our speaker, Stephen Watson, will argue that the future imagined by many - hi-tech and hydrogen powered, with life & business much as we know it now - is not the one we will be living in 20 years time. However, he will also assert that the future can be a lot better than the life we are currently living, but only if we begin detox and preparation now. Come and share a journey in which we will learn about a topic that few are brave enough to mention. As always, there will be an opportunity to ask questions and share insights. This will be followed by discussions on ideas for climate and other environmental actions, especially with regards to practical strategies we can take to push these issues up the agenda within Muslim communities, before it is too late.
About the speaker:
It was whilst on top of a mountain in the Lake District many years ago that Stephen Watson had the life-changing experience which led him into the Ecology (now Green) Party. He felt that most of the environmental problems we face have political roots, and that it seemed better to deal with the cause, than to apply constant patches as a solution. Through his readings on environmental matters he eventually became aware of Peak Oil in 2004, read voraciously on the subject, and as a result not only did he stop his pension, sell his house and leave his job whilst planning for a life based around solutions to the coming crises, but he also played a significant role in making this an issue within the Green Party. Now, Stephen is taking a Full Permaculture Design course and planning to put this and other skills together in a way that will allow him and his local community to face the coming energy descent with some grace.
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