Now that petrol prices have dropped below the one pound per litre level it is easy to forget that the world still faces peak oil. This is the point where half of the world's oil supply has been pumped out of the ground. From here on it will be a diminishing resource.
Extracting the first half of oil from a well is the easy bit, as the lighter fuels are found at the top and are under pressure so that the oil just gushes out. Then the pressure is less and more serious pumping is required. Deeper down the oil is th
icker and harder to pump up.
Water and sometimes gas is pumped into the oil well to raise the pressure. All of these problems and techniques make it more expensive to get the remaining oil out. Once the oil peak has been reached oil prices will inevitably rise.
So peak oil has profound implications for us. Oil is the basis of our energy supply, oil is the basis for worldwide intensive agriculture, oil is the basis of plastics and synthetic materials. Our economy can only grow with the growth of energy supplies. Once peak oil is reached everything changes.
The Transition Town movement in the UK starts out with the recognition that we are at, or very close to, peak oil. Taking that as the starting point the movement then asks how will our town adapt to a low energy future? What will we have to do to make the transition as easy as possible? How can we start the process of transition?
For us in Hawick (as in other towns) the journey starts with a growing awareness of the situation and by asking questions.
Where will our food come from? Where will our energy come from? What work will we do? How will our town look 20 years from now? Will there still be cars and supermarkets? What will be the basis of our local economy? It makes you think!
Just in case you missed the article on page 10 of this week's paper, A Greener Hawick is presenting a talk and discussion on Wednesday on the theme: 'Transition Towns: a great opportunity for Hawick'.
The talk will be given by Eva Schonveld, of Transition Scotland, and the discussion will be with her and myself. The event gets under way at 7.30pm in the Tower Mill; and the cost is £2.
Do come along and join in the process of looking for answers. I hope to see you there.
