Here are a few frequently asked questions (FAQs) relating to Sustaining Dunbar and our projects.
Why Sustaining Dunbar?
Sustaining Dunbar was launched in April 2008 to provide a means for people to get together to start planning and creating a positive and sustainable future for the Dunbar and East Linton area as we face up to the challenges of Peak Oil, Climate Change and the likely unravelling of the globalised economy. As we wean ourselves off our dependence on fossil fuels, how can we use this as an opportunity to build a better future for ourselves, our children and grandchildren?
Sustaining Dunbar is part of the worldwide Transition Network and is a Community Development Trust with membership open to everyone who lives in the Dunbar and East Linton area.
What is Peak Oil?
‘Peak Oil’ refers to the maximum extraction rate of oil, after which the rate of extraction will decline. It has been found that the extraction of oil from any oil field always follows a more or less bell-shaped curve: first the oil is discovered and once it starts to be pumped out, the rate increases steadily until it reaches a peak, after which it becomes impossible to pump at the same rate and production goes into decline.
World discovery of oil peaked in 1964 and has been declining ever since, despite considerable improvements in technology, and there is no prospect of any significant large discoveries. We are currently consuming more than six barrels of oil for every one we discover. There is a growing consensus that we are now approaching, or are even at, the world oil peak. We will no longer be able to build our lifestyles and economy around the assumption of an ongoing cheap supply of this amazingly concentrated form of energy.
Furthermore, remaining oil reserves are going to need considerably more energy put in to get the oil out. The net energy (Energy Return on Energy Invested) available is therefore not as big as we might expect and the decline in energy produced could therefore be considerably steeper than the size of the remaining reserves might suggest. Add to this the fact that oil consumption in the major oil producing countries is itself increasing and within 20-30 years there may be little oil available to be traded on the global markets!
What is a Transition Initiative?
Transition initiatives are communities that have come together with a shared concern: how can our community respond to the challenges, and opportunities, of Peak Oil and Climate Change?
What is a Community Development Trust?
Development trusts offer a fresh approach to community regeneration. Independent and under community control, these organisations draw together the energy, commitment and creativity of local people to tackle local issues. Through enterprise and the ownership of local assets, development trusts address the economic, social, cultural and environmental needs of their communities. Sustaining Dunbar is a member of the Development Trust Association Scotland.
What and why do we need to prepare for ‘Energy Descent’?
The term energy descent refers to the downward half of the peak oil curve, when the Age of Cheap Oil is over and world energy supplies have entered an inexorable decline. In ‘Energy Descent Pathways’ (download from here) , Rob Hopkins defines energy descent as being;
“The continual decline in net energy supporting humanity, a decline which mirrors the ascent in net energy that has taken place since the Industrial Revolution. It also refers to a future scenario in which humanity has successfully adapted to the declining net fossil fuel energy availability and has become more localised and self-reliant. It is a term favoured by people looking towards energy peak as an opportunity for positive change rather than an inevitable disaster.”
What’s happening at the moment?
Check out the ‘events’ link for find a calendar of events, meetings and workshops. There is lots going on, apart from the projects funded by the Climate Challenge Fund. To keep in the loop, you can subscribe to updates on the ‘keep in touch’ link, join our facebook page and subscribe to our Yahoo group: send a blank email to: Sustdunbar-subscribeATyahoogroups.com
How can I get involved?
You can join Sustaining Dunbar as a member; see the calendar and project pages to find out about upcoming events and all the different ways you can participate in and support the projects and groups; start a new working group; subscribe to updates from the website to make sure that you are kept informed of events; register to become a contributor to the website; join our facebook site….what are you waiting for?
