Location: UCS Ipswich, Waterfront Building, Lecture Theatre 2
Date: 9 May 2011
Time: 5.30pm - 7.30pm
We live in a world of finite resources and we are entering an age when the limits to their use are starting to be felt. This is the core of the idea of Peak Oil – that there will come a point, if it hasn’t already reached us, when the flow of oil from the ground is not enough to meet our needs. The prospect of depleting our oil resources is one that we will have to face in the very near future.
Combined with the immediate prospect of Peak Oil is the challenge that man-made Climate Change will present us. Climate Change is set to have an impact on our weather patterns – mainly through the water cycle – and may affect the sea levels around us. We are unsure of what those impacts may be and when we might expect to experience them.
For the purposes of this session, we shall assume that we have reached the point of Peak Oil, and that there is an immediate prospect of Climate Change affecting our lives. What actions can we take to mitigate the impact of Peak Oil and Climate Change? What policies ought our political leaders to be taking? Should we leave all of the responsibility for mitigation at the community level? Or could we be taking action at the household and individual level?
The evening will consist of a short welcome and introduction, followed by a short briefing on Peak Oil and Climate Change. The larger part of the evening will be comprised of small group discussions to develop a scenario to help us cope with the twin problems. Finally, there will be a plenary session drawing together all of the group discussion to produce a final overview.
The evening is designed to be of one and a half hours in length, consisting of a briefing of about fifteen minutes, followed by small group discussion for forty five minutes, and then a review for about half an hour. Informal discussion may follow the session at a suitable local venue.
There is no charge to attend the session, although booking in advance would be helpful to allow us to anticipate numbers.
The briefings will be delivered by Stephen Aguilar-Millan (Director of Research, European Futures Observatory), who will also lead the discussion and review.
To find out more information, please e-mail Stephen Aguilar-Millan on stephenaeufo.org|. You can book a place through Eventbrite by clicking here|.