Suggestion for Meeting at Schumacher College

[rdouthwaite]

Events are moving so quickly that I'd like to suggest that the Feasta Energy and Climate group should meet again in January, and, as we have a policy of meeting alternately in Britain and Ireland, that the meeting should be at Schumacher College near Totnes in Devon. The meeting would be a joint one with Cap and Share.

The dates I suggest are: arrive before 6pm on Friday January 18th in time for the evening meal, and leave after lunch on Sunday 20th. My reason for suggesting this date is that Peter Barnes is lecturing at the College until the 18th and that I'm lecturing there from the 21st and, when we were together last month, we agreed that I'd arrive early and that he'd leave late so that we could overlap and meet again. When other people (James, Will, Brian and Antony Turner of CarbonSense) expressed a wish to join us, it seemed to be a good idea to turn the two days into a proper group meeting.

Apart from being convenient for Peter and I (and Antony who lives near by), Schumacher College is ideal for our type of meeting. It has excellent single bedrooms, the best vegetarian food I've ever tasted and a choice of meeting rooms, so we could split into smaller groups if we wished. There's also a bar, which opens at 9pm. The cost for the two nights would be £130 each, including all meals. If anyone would like to attend but would find that too much, just let me know. I suggest that we limit overall attendance to 20.

There will be the chance to learn what Totnes, the leading Transition Town is doing as Rob Hopkins has offered to give us a briefing. I've talked to him about our holding a public meeting in the Seven Stars Hotel in the town on the Friday night, just as we did in Machynlleth, so that local people can get involved in our work if they wish. And, as at CAT last year, some of the students and others attached to the College will want to attend our discussions..

Please let me know if you'd like to attend and, if enough of us do, I'll confirm the dates so that you can make travel bookings. (The best way to get to Totnes is by train but railfares in Britain are quite ridiculous unless you book at least a month in advance). Seats will be available in at least one car crossing from Ireland.

Richard

[willhoward*died March 17t]

Dear All,

This seems like a really good idea to me - things are indeed moving fast - and we need to move with them if we are to have any chance of getting cap-and-share/rebate into play.

I've been going the rounds of NGOs, think tanks, politicians, ministries and academics recently (and trying with the media) and here's an idea and tag that I think might be useful in lifting the campaign onto the next level. It could also help structure a Dartington meeting to good effect.

Are we talking paradigm shift here?

A Second Generation Response to the Climate Crisis

This refers both to the reality of the situation and to a good way to galvanise people for a new approach - nobody wants to be "last century".

I just wrote this in a suggestion to get research proposals more focussed:

---

In climate science, a second generation understanding, accompanied by mounting evidence, points to the coupling of primary and secondary feedbacks, accelerating climate change, a very real potential for triggering catastrophic change and the need to go beyond deep cuts into the sequestering back of CO2 already in the atmosphere.

In climate technology, which is just about everything we do, a second generation understanding points to many major technologies becoming carbon absorbing rather than emitting, to powering down while increasing renewables, and to the creation of a new and dynamic relationship between large, medium and small scale solutions.

In climate political economy, a second generation understanding points to an approach that combines ethics and accounting, relates to energy and resources in front of money, fits international concerns into a global approach, and creates a new balance between governments, companies and people.

The key results emerging in second generation climate science and technologies needs to be integrated with the also emerging new ethical and economic approach represented by cap-and-share/rebate.

---

This can be developed and summarised in a table - which I've only just started and could do with everyone's thoughts and additions to:

First generation - Second generation

In science
Isolated variables - Coupled feedbacks
Linear models - Tipping point models
Linear climate change - Accelerating climate change
Potential dangerous cc started - Potential catastrophic cc started
80% cuts - deep cuts with sequestration
Etc - Etc

In technology
Emissions capturing - Carbon sequestrating
Low carbon - Zero carbon
BAU plus renewabels - Power down plus renewables
Large scale energy systems - Large, medium and small scale energy systems
Etc - Etc

In economics and politics
Environmental economics - Ecological economics
Monetary values - Availability of energy and resources
International solutions - Global solutions
Elites - People and elites
Etc - Etc

---

If what I have here has some mileage, then we can create a strategy for knocking out the main intellectual pillars of the "old" and building new ones through which we can gain enough excitement at all levels to win through.

The new "tag" and structure of discussion may be essential to facilitate the coalescing of an exanded set of ideas and people - along with matching the new science and technology with an adequate ethical and economic framework - and towards a much better overall vision. We need to get ahead of the climate change curve!

Best wishes

Will

[rdouthwaite]

Since 14 people have now told me that they would like to attend the Climate Group meeting, it will definitely go ahead at Schumacher College from the evening of January 18th, 2008 until after lunch on Sunday the 20th. I won't be sending out more messages about it on this list until after it's over as that would get tiresome for those not going. News about the arrangements and programme will only be sent to the participants.

Anyone interested in going should let me know ASAP as we're getting close to capacity.

Richard.

[rdouthwaite]

Over thirty people have now confirmed that they will be attending the meeting at Schumacher College later this month. I'm sending the draft programme for that meeting as an attachment to this message to the whole group as those not attending will probably be interested in what's to be discussed, especially as the programme gives an insight into the way thinking about Cap and Share is developing. Comments and suggestions are, of course, welcome.

Richard.

[Mike Sandler]

Regarding the Schumacher meeting agenda item on a dividend or share:

I understand the comment that the share denominated in tons CO2 carries a higher transaction cost, because each person would have to take it to the bank, or perform some transaction to put the share into circulation.

The dividend, on the other hand, has already been converted to cash in the state-run auction, and only needs to be distributed, perhaps electronically, to citizens.

Even so, I think the share should remain an option. I envision a check-box on your tax form: How would you like your climate entitlement this year? Check the box next to: Dividend, Tax Rebate, or Share.

There still needs to be more thinking about why a share should remain an option. Perhaps people want to hold on to their share instead of having the state sell it on their behalf. This may appeal to environmentalists, or to investors and people who like to participate in the stock market directly. Having both a dividend and share may diversify the market, so that it is not just the state-run auction determining the price, but a side market of millions of individuals as well.

-Mike Sandler
Carbon Share, California, USA
www.carbonshare.org

Schumacher agenda item:
"Some of us have been suggesting that, rather than giving each person a paper certificate which they could decided whether or not to sell, it might be better/more efficient to adopt the approach taken by the Sky Trust and have either the Global Carbon Trust or the national climate trusts auction the emissions tonnage themselves and then distribute the proceeds as cash. We ought to discuss the pros and cons of each approach. "