Lectures

Davie Philip – Developing a transition mindset

Davie Philip, coordinator of the Irish Transition Towns network, sees the 'new emergency' as a 'once-in-a-species' opportunity to make a controlled, planned transition to a post-industrial society. He asked whether the Transition Initiatives emerging around the world are up to this challenge and what more this young movement could be doing to facilitate the building of resilient communities.

James Pike – Equity Partnership: exploring non debt–based financing for building development in the downturn.

James Pike explained how a non-debt method of financing property development, Equity Partnerships, can not only rescue completed developments which can't be sold in the present market, but can also provide a way in which all occupiers gain a stake in future developments. Equity partnerships are equally suitable for community energy projects.

Mark Rutledge – Cap and Share: mechanisms to share scarce resources and provide economic incentives for renewable energy and efficiency investment.

Mark Rutledge argued that the adoption of Cap and Share, Feasta's proposed framework for a global climate treaty, is a necessary tool for dealing with peak oil and the current world recession. Unless it is used, he said, any economic recovery will be strangled at birth as oil prices rise again.

Ludwig Schuster – A New Monetary Pluralism: from a recombination of regional economic circles to investing in a sustainable future.

Ludwig Schuster, who advises many of complementary currency systems that have sprung up in Germany, looked at the role that money systems have to play in moving economies away from the exponential growth paradigm. He argued that, as different activities offer different benefits, special currencies may be needed for particular purposes.

David Korowicz – Complexity, Economy, Civilisation & Collapse

David Korowicz documented the disturbing growth in the complexity of trade and financial networks and in the various types of infrastructure. He sees the collapse process as a system of re-enforcing feedbacks that cut investment in energy and R&D and cause supply chains and IT networks to break down.

Dmitry Orlov – Definancialisation, Deglobalisation, Relocalisation

Dmitry Orlov explained why efforts to extend the lifetime of the industrial, fossil fuel-based economy are misguided and will fail. He then presented alternatives, describing how patterns of land use can be transformed into patterns of habitat creation and how informal local networks of sustainable non-fossil-fuel-based production and distribution can be created.