Weekly Press: Transition Communities discussed at Natural Sciences

Weekly Press: Transition Communities discussed at Natural Sciences

Transition communities are communities that take active steps to prepare for peak oil and climate change. Although the issue of climate change will be familiar to many people thanks to its prominence in the news, the concept of peak oil may require some explanation.

Peak oil – for a country – is the point in time when the availability of petroleum begins to decline. Cuba had received a large portion of its oil from the Soviet Union. When that source ended, the Cuban government had to close factories, reduce agricultural fertilization, and cut back on gasoline for private transportation. The government proceeded to buy thousands of bicycles from China and invent new forms of public transit. And at the neighborhood level, the government was forced to tolerate private gardening on state property.

As part of its Town Square series of forums, the Academy brought Quiet Riot to its auditorium to connect people with research on the looming environmental catastrophe.