interest research, activism and writing of
Shaun Chamberlin, working with a wide
network of friends and partners around
the world. We are unashamedly positive
about what kind of a world humanity could
create, and unashamedly realistic about
how far we are from creating it today.
Dark Optimism is the not-for-profit public interest research, activism and writing of Shaun Chamberlin, working with a wide network of friends and partners around the world. We are unashamedly positive about what kind of a world humanity could create, and unashamedly realistic about how far we are from creating it today.
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As awareness spreads of the ecocidal consequences of our civilisation, I increasingly hear opinions to the effect that humanity is nothing but a plague, a parasite. A virus with shoes... It can even lead to the opinion (frequently expressed by those in favour of burying our heads in the sand) that people concerned about humanity's impacts should do the world a favour and kill themselves. Indeed, as this hypothesis continues to spread, I don't doubt...
In 2014 Ursula K. Le Guin accepted the Medal for Distinguished Contribution to American Letters with a deliciously powerful speech. Aware that her time was nearing its end, she declared that her “beautiful reward” was accepted on behalf of, and shared with... . . . writers of the imagination who, for the last fifty years, watched the beautiful rewards go to the so-called realists. I think hard times are coming, when we will be wanting the voices...
I got arrested for the first time in my life this week. And I'm proud of it. As long-time followers of this blog know, over the past 13 years I've tried everything I know to get our society to change its omnicidal course. I've written books, co-founded organisations, taught courses, worked in my community, lobbied governments, given talks, participated in grassroots discussion and action... I've failed. We've all failed. As a global society we are accelerating...
When environmentalists argue amongst themselves, whether at some formal debate or late at night over a few drinks, I confidently predict that the argument will go like this. One will say (in one form or another): "There's no time to wait for radical change or revolution; the crisis is overwhelmingly urgent, we simply have to act within the frameworks we have now". The other will argue (in one form or another): "But there's no point in acting without...
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(March '21 update: With the powerful Jan/Feb ’21 run of the course discussed below now complete, enrolments are now open for June/July ’21 – details here) (Dec '20 update: All 100 places are now taken, with our guest teachers this time confirmed as David Abram, Eve Annecke, Kali Akuno, Nate Hagens, Rob Hopkins, Lucy Neal, Richard Heinberg and Chris Smaje. If you want to sign up to be notified about the next run of this unique course,...
It is all too easy to get caught up in current events today, with the U.S. president scheming to discredit his own country's election results, COVID-19 resurgent in many countries, social upheaval and natural disasters continuing to worsen with each passing year, to name but a few issues screaming for immediate attention. But there is danger in letting our eyes be drawn too often, for every one of these current events is the product of...
By now most readers of my blog will be familiar with my late mentor's masterwork Lean Logic: A Dictionary for the Future and How to Survive It. You might though be less familiar with LeanLogic.online, which is now ready for its full launch! This is a lovingly developed and completely free online version of the award-winning book, converting it into the hyperlinked format that its holistic structure suits so perfectly. It's also easily searchable, which I...
December 2020 update: We have reached our cap of 100 participants for the second run of the course, starting Jan 4th 2021, and so have closed enrolments. You can sign up to be notified about our next course here. April 2020 update: Due to overwhelming interest, we've closed enrolments for 'Surviving the Future: Conversations for Our Time'. With over 245 enrolled, we simply don't feel we can accommodate more. If you missed...
So, we have a sold-out London event on Monday, launching our film, book and online course. And all week I've been agonising - with the others involved - about whether to cancel it or not, in light of the coronavirus pandemic. At the time of writing (Thursday morning) the advice from the UK government and Public Health England is clear. Keep calm and carry on. Cancelling events would be too soon and could even be...
The above image is a screenshot from my latest newsletter. Tickets are now on sale (and going fast!) for the launch of our film The Sequel: What Will Follow Our Troubled Civilisation?, with guests Caroline Lucas MP, Kate Raworth and Rob Hopkins joining me and the film's director Peter Armstrong for an event livestreamed globally by Extinction Rebellion. Read the update in full, including the link for tickets, or subscribe to receive future newsletters direct to...
When the bestselling theologian Reverend Michael Dowd invited me to open his 'Post-Doom' series of interviews on dealing with the widespread foreboding about climate chaos, societal collapse, and ecological 'doom', I didn't imagine how beautifully warm and touching a conversation it would be! We forged a real connection and it was an absolute pleasure to get to know such an authentic man. Here's a direct link to the full interview, or for a list of topics...- As awareness spreads of the ecocidal consequences of our civilisation, I increasingly hear opinions to the effect that humanity is nothing but a plague, a parasite. A virus with shoes... It can even lead to the opinion (frequently expressed by those in favour of burying our heads in the sand) that people concerned about humanity's impacts should do the world a favour and kill themselves. Indeed, as this hypothesis continues to spread, I don't doubt...
Sometimes, like Kant, I'm moved to write by reading something I so profoundly disagree with. Tonight, curiously, I'm moved by a wish for a little less disagreement. Reading Jeremy Lent's excellent post What Will You Say To Your Grandchildren? and seeing it so passionately take issue with Jem Bendell's "dangerously flawed" calls for Deep Adaptation, I just felt deep solidarity with both. I left a comment on Jeremy's piece, then thought I'd expand it a little...- In 2014 Ursula K. Le Guin accepted the Medal for Distinguished Contribution to American Letters with a deliciously powerful speech. Aware that her time was nearing its end, she declared that her “beautiful reward” was accepted on behalf of, and shared with... . . . writers of the imagination who, for the last fifty years, watched the beautiful rewards go to the so-called realists. I think hard times are coming, when we will be wanting the voices...
- I got arrested for the first time in my life this week. And I'm proud of it. As long-time followers of this blog know, over the past 13 years I've tried everything I know to get our society to change its omnicidal course. I've written books, co-founded organisations, taught courses, worked in my community, lobbied governments, given talks, participated in grassroots discussion and action... I've failed. We've all failed. As a global society we are accelerating...
The above is a screenshot from my most exciting update yet on all that's afoot around David Fleming's award-winning books and wider legacy! Including details of the initial exclusive film launch, discussion of the TEQs system he invented at the European Parliament, his work being taught in several universities and an online course, Peter Buffett's new weekly radio show about the books, an online version of the Dictionary for the Future and much more... Read the...
This post was originally written by me for the film's own blog, but I have kindly given myself permission to reproduce it here 😉 You can watch the above taster in full here. As executive producer of The Sequel, I'm proud of what we've created, and can't wait to see the impact it has in the hands of the wonderful Bullfrog Films! Emerging from a few months of frantic editorial work, we have two exciting pieces of...
The above screenshot is from the latest - bumper! - update on all that is afoot around the late David Fleming's books. Including details of the audiobook launched yesterday, winning 1st prize at the New York Book Show, free book possibilities, the first screening of our film, a Sterling College course based around David's work and much more... Read the update in full, or subscribe to receive future updates direct to your inbox.
Sterling College have posted a report on last month's Surviving the Future symposium, including these wonderful video highlights: So nourishing to see the impact David Fleming's work and vision is having on influential thinkers like Peter Buffett, Richard Heinberg and David Bollier!
Our film about David Fleming's potent legacy is starting to take shape. And here's the first taster - a beautiful five minute wander through Deep Time, with a shocking ending..! https://vimeo.com/236050600 I'm so proud of these tasters, and happy to see that they're currently going viral on Facebook, with over 1.5m 2.5m 4m views already. For more head over to the home of the film: https://www.flemingpolicycentre.org.uk/the-sequel/ We look forward to hearing your thoughts there, especially on what else...
Because why not? I have a passion for tracking down that elusive rarity - eco-songs that don't suck! And thanks to several Dark Optimism readers, my collection's growing, from a wide range of genres. Back in 2011, I published the first 'Dark Optimism album', but sadly it was lost due to my using an external MP3 player which later disappeared. Just hit play below for the 2017 edition, with a few more recent favourites added to...
In a couple of weeks (Feb 6-10) I'll be leading a week-long course at Schumacher College based on David Fleming's legacy: Community, Place and Play: A Post-Market Economics. It will be an exploration of what 'life well lived' looks like in a world of ecocide and collapsing civilisational structures, and a call for those present to ramp up their involvement in the informal economy of relationships and Nature. The key resources for a thriving...
For more on my late mentor David Fleming's astonishing Surviving the Future or Lean Logic, see the official page for the books, which should provide all you need. The “Order the books” section there will point you to the best deals available (in print, as e-books, or as an audiobook with my narration!), with free worldwide delivery. Forthcoming public events: Mon 23rd November 2020 - Sun 31st January 2021 - Eight week online course Surviving the Future:...
A personal post this, on the sixth anniversary of my dear friend David Fleming's death. A mournful day, but also one of great satisfaction, as his incredible books finally spread their wings and find the audience his genius always deserved. Ten years on from our first meeting, on the Schumacher College course that utterly reshaped my decade since, and six years on from his death, I carry simply this immense gratitude for all that David...
At recent events I have played clips from interviews with the late, great David Fleming, and a few people have asked me to make the full footage available. So here it is: ~~~ 22nd November 2006 - Schumacher College Earth Talk: "Lean Energy: A Practical Guide to the Energy Descent" (courtesy of Schumacher College, after some hard digging through their archives!) ~~~ 4th August 2009 - Interview on peak oil in his flat in Hampstead ~~~ 4th November 2010 -...
So, after years of work from me, and decades from David, the day is finally here - the official publication date for his astonishing lifework!! In truth, demand has already been such that the distributors have been struggling to keep up, but they're ramping things up now, and the real promotional push starts here 🙂 Last week I circulated an email with full details of the books, the early reviews, tour events etc, but since two...
Last week the wonderful Brianne Goodspeed of Chelsea Green Publishing interviewed me on my late mentor David Fleming and the astonishing gift he left to the world. His sudden death in 2010 left behind his great unpublished work—Lean Logic: A Dictionary for the Future and How to Survive It—a masterpiece more than thirty years in the making. In it, Fleming examines the consequences of an economy that destroys the very foundations—ecological, economic, and cultural—upon which it...
On the eve of the #Brexit referendum, I have found myself struck by the juxtaposition of two exceptional pieces of writing which run somewhat deeper than the 'lowest common denominator' debate running in the mainstream media. It wasn't immediately clear to me which way I would vote, but reading these nuanced pieces - which draw out sensible reasons for considering both sides of the argument - helped me to make a decision. The first is this...
We just sent out our Fleming Policy Centre newsletter, with reflections on the Paris climate summit. Bottom line: it's not good. In the words of the author Naomi Klein, "Our leaders have shown themselves willing to set our world on fire." Meanwhile, the mainstream media seem to be doing their best to put the world to sleep again. One excitable front-page headline I noticed in The Observer proclaimed: "World leaders hail Paris climate deal as ‘major...
I am pleased and proud to be able to mark the 5th anniversary of my friend David Fleming's death with the news that his life's work is approaching publication. I believe that a beautiful way to honour those we love after their death is to keep alive in the world that which was best in them. In David's case, there was no clearer way to do so than to see his masterwork Lean Logic: A...
I am currently hunkered down working on a project close to my heart, editing my late friend and colleague Dr. David Fleming's incredible life's work Lean Logic: A Dictionary for the Future and How to Survive It, for its publication by Chelsea Green later this year. I did though hear about the pope's interesting new encyclical. It's well worth a browse (and do check out Rap News' take), but here are a few of my...
Lately we've seen the president of the World Bank and 'business leaders from the very carbon-intensive industries' pushing for carbon pricing (taxes or 'carbon trading' schemes). This is intended to demonstrate their deep change of heart and determination to start seriously addressing climate change, but to my eyes it is a deeply cynical, pernicious attempt to channel the passion of those deeply-committed to action on climate change into mechanisms that will only maintain the...
This is an excerpt from a longer video interview Rhonda Fabian conducted with Shaun Chamberlin at the opening of the New Story Summit in Findhorn, Scotland. Part of a Findhorn Foundation documentary initiative. Transcript originally published in the Kosmos Journal. -- Rhonda Fabian: Shaun, please tell me what Dark Optimism means to you. Dark Optimism is a widely misunderstood term. I get a lot of people coming up to me saying, “Are you feeling dark today, or optimistic?”...
RapNews have outdone themselves, and that's saying something:
A couple of nice videos from my wanderings in August. I started with a few days at the ever-wonderful Transition Heathrow, to support them through their threatened eviction. You can see how that went in the short video above. And then a coach was arranged from Grow Heathrow up to the Reclaim The Power anti-fracking camp in Blackpool, where I gave a couple of workshops, on TEQs and the Grow Heathrow eviction resistance,...
This post was originally written by me as a guest post for Rob Hopkins' Transition Culture blog, but I have kindly given myself permission to reproduce it here 😉- When environmentalists argue amongst themselves, whether at some formal debate or late at night over a few drinks, I confidently predict that the argument will go like this. One will say (in one form or another): "There's no time to wait for radical change or revolution; the crisis is overwhelmingly urgent, we simply have to act within the frameworks we have now". The other will argue (in one form or another): "But there's no point in acting without...
Let me tell you a story. It’s a story about our land – our home – and our ability to live peaceful, harmonious, respectful lives upon it and in partnership with it. And it’s a story about the big bad political structures and corporate institutions that conspire to stop us doing so, using the unspeakable, impenetrable black magic of bureaucracy and backhanders to bind our best efforts with frustration and fatigue. Oh, you already know that one? ~~~~~~~~~ Ok,...
The right to access land matters, in a fundamental way. It is a place to live, a source for food, for water, for fuel, and for sustenance of almost every kind. And land management also has profound impacts on our ecosystems and environment, and thus on our well-being and our collective future. So it matters deeply that while UK supermarkets and housing estates find permission to build easy to come by, those who wish...
Out today from Pluto Press is What We Are Fighting For: A Radical Collective Manifesto - a book to which I was delighted to contribute. My chapter, "The Struggle for Meaning", wraps up the section on 'New Economics' and addresses our collective fight for meaningful lives, and the importance of the beliefs and stories that shape and power our struggle. It considers the Transition movement and TEQs through this lens, viewing them as part of...
Off the back of my recent post on Transition Money, this excellent new short film, 97% Owned, explains the privatised, debt-based money system we currently use. The one that allows UK banks to simply create around £200,000,000,000 (£200bn) a year and use it as they see fit - without any oversight - to shape the economy and control politics, causing crises, creating inflation and pushing house prices out of reach. Most of us work for...
Last month I was one of forty or so attendees of the Transition 'Peak Money' day. It was a fascinating collection of people, from theorists to activists, and a potent opportunity to reflect on the challenges facing us all as the glaring errors at the heart of mainstream economics take their toll. This post is far more personal reflection than report, as Rob Hopkins has already done a great job on that front. The key...
I'll be heading down to Transition Heathrow from this Monday 7th May - Sunday 13th May to help them in the building of a new community longhouse from reclaimed materials. It should be great fun, a real education, and a chance to contribute to a Transition initiative that has been a real inspiration for me (see below video for a taste). If any of you are in the area, feel free to come down and...
My hero Enric Duran (AKA Robin Bank) has posted the below new video explaining his legal situation and inviting others to join his radical action against the banks. For those who haven't seen it, I strongly recommend watching his inspiring 2008 video first. What I find particularly fascinating about this new video is Duran's statement that "I know speaking of the extension of disobedience, of the risks of detention and prison, brings up our fears and...
Untitled piece by Maria Elvorith (from the cover of TheFWD) The Future We Deserve, a collaborative book project edited by Vinay Gupta, Cat Lupton and Noah Raford, is available today. It can be read in full, downloaded or bought in hard copy here. I contributed one of the one hundred short essays that make up the book as well as the below foreword (the same length as each essay!), which explores the unique nature of the project...
David Buckland, text Amy Balkin, ‘Going to hell on a handcart.’, Ice Art "Untitled, 2010" was written by artist Maria Elvorith for The Future We Deserve, a book project about collaboratively creating the future we deserve, set for publication in January 2012. --- “The war that matters is the war against the imagination, all other wars are subsumed in it.” ~ Diane Di Prima With each day we move towards a necessary revolution. Resource depletion, mass species extinction...
This post was written for the Transition Network's Social Reporting project, and published there on Sunday 13th November. --- Having been invited to be this week's Social Reporting guest editor and introduce the theme of economics, the burgeoning 'Occupy' movement seemed the obvious place to start. Over the last couple of months I have been fascinated as the occupations started with OccupyWallStreet on Sept 17th, followed by others joining in solidarity around the world, including OccupyLondon, which...
I recently heard an interviewer ask someone who their heroes are, and was struck by the lack of names that came up when I asked myself the same question (although Dr. James Hansen now springs to mind...) But now I think I have one, having discovered the brave story of Robin Bank (AKA Enric Duran). He is a Catalan activist who spent the two years to 2008 taking out loans totalling nearly half a...
As regular readers will know, I am an admirer of the Dark Mountain Project - fellow adventurers in uncovering and reshaping the cultural stories that define us and guide our behaviour. Their manifesto is well worth a read. So I have accepted this contribution from Dougald Hine, one of the co-founders, as my second ever guest post (the first remains one of my favourite moments of Dark Optimism). It was originally written for the Transition...
Last night I went to the première screening of an excellent new film called Just Do It. It's a record of the direct action climate movement - Climate Camp, Plane Stupid et al. - made with the full cooperation of the activists, and it's worth checking out, especially if you've never been directly involved yourself. It is a story of people responding to the threat to their future with courage, determination, humour and camaraderie. It's...
Robert Foster's brilliant Rap News makes it onto Dark Optimism for the second time, with a comment on recent events featuring the likes of Hugo Chavez, Glenn Beck, Bono ("Tell China to end first world debt") and John Pilger, as well as footage from the ongoing American revolution. Well worth a watch, as is this interview, where Noam Chomsky dismantles Jeremy Paxman's worldview to his face. Edit - 28/04/11 - And here's a sincere call for...
Now here's a video to lift your soul and make your day, celebrating the first birthday of the ever-more wonderful Transition Heathrow. As discussed here last year, the site is not safe from the authorities, but it has now got an assured future until November at least. The ultimate aim is long-term community ownership. Thanks to all readers who supported the campaign, and huge congratulations to all at TT Heathrow - you are an inspiration. Edit...
The brilliant cartoonist Marc Roberts (whose work will be familiar to regular Dark Optimism readers) got in touch with the Transition Network last year offering to produce a strip exploring the Transition concept. The time has come for the results to be unleashed on an unsuspecting public! In Marc's own words, "they will be loosely exploring some of the Holmgren and Chamberlin scenarios through my usual combination of toilet humour and sarcasm". He does himself a...
What a week - Tuesday's launch of the All Party Parliamentary Group on Peak Oil's report into TEQs was a tremendous success, with excellent media coverage, including Time magazine, The Sunday Times, Bloomberg News, the BBC, the Financial Times and many others (linked article list). The only problem has been that the degree of interest has been such that I haven't found a moment to write anything here - although I have been Tweeting,...
My dear friend and colleague David Fleming unexpectedly passed away last night, peacefully in his sleep. I am still somewhat in shock. I only had the great fortune to know him for four years, but from the outset I knew what a privilege it was. He found me at a time when I was struggling to know where to direct my energies, and supported me in so many ways to learn how to build a life...
Despite my serious misgivings about Facebook and the way it is run, I have decided to bow to popular pressure and trial a Dark Optimism Facebook page. While my Twitter feed has proved a useful tool, whether or not I retain the Facebook page will depend on its popularity and any feedback received, so let me know what you think. Also, for newcomers to Dark Optimism, there is now a "best posts" category here on the...
I have just spent an intrigued couple of hours musing over the outstanding new Common Cause report, which explores the battle over cultural values that underlies communications and marketing, while keeping one eye always on our environmental challenges. The report has both stimulated a fair bit of controversy (as I will explore below the cut) and, excitingly, provided an answer to a question that has been bothering me for many years now, since reading Edward...
The beautifully tended squatted community garden in Sipson, Heathrow has been served a court summons for eviction. On the 1st of March this year the neglected plot on the planned site of the third runway was reclaimed, and for the last six months the Transition Heathrow team have worked with residents to rejuvenate, nay transform, the former market garden. They have shifted over 30 tonnes of rubbish from the site and set it to growing...
This is a really fantastic piece of collaboration animation on the subject of responses to climate change, from the striking opening comment on Copenhagen on through. Though as the creators freely acknowledge, the ideas behind it need a little love. It strikes me that some great candidates for their proposed Green Knowledge Trust, Catalyst System and Open Innovation Centre are already coming together..
The slides and audio are now available from the seminar David Fleming and I gave at the London School of Economics last week. The topic was "Transition Towns and Tradable Energy Quotas: Frameworks to support a diversity of small-scale solutions to the large-scale problems of peak oil and climate change". Note that the slides are mis-numbered on the LSE site, so my opening section is Audio Part 1 (which begins with introductions from those present) and...
More video clips from the Conference can be found here, and audio here (including a quick interview with me on Energy Descent Planning for communities). Edit - Indymedia have posted the audio and slides from the three hour workshop Jacqi Hodgson (Totnes EDAP coordinator) and I gave on community Energy Descent Planning. This is in fact the workshop pictured below, in the video's freeze-frame.
This post was originally written by me as a guest post for Rob Hopkins' Transition Culture blog, but I have kindly given myself permission to reproduce it here 😉 So here I am. I fully intended to be giving the England match my full attention right now, but I've been left distinctly restive by this afternoon's long session by Stoneleigh of The Automatic Earth, and feel the need to put some thoughts down. Including the extensive...
https://www.darkoptimism.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/10-03-26-Radio-EcoShock_Chamberlin_LoFi.mp3 Christopher Fraser of London Transition has kindly transcribed the above popular interview with Canada's Radio Ecoshock that I posted a couple of months back. I've also added links at a few pertinent points below. -- Alex Smith, Radio Ecoshock: You know we’re going to run out of civilisation’s lifeblood, fossil fuels. And if we burn what’s left, the climate may tip into a mass extinction event. Meanwhile barking madness seems to be the only...
I got back from the Dark Mountain Project's Uncivilisation festival a few days ago, and while I could write about many of the aspects of that stimulating week, one thread it really tugged on for me was the role - the critical importance - of the arts in shifting the cultural stories that shape our future. So today I would like to highlight a few musical artists who have inspired my personal journey, and to...
So the big day finally came and went, and glorious it was too. I'm still smiling from the wonderful energy of it all. Pause a moment to take in the brilliance of the TTK cake (TT Kake?) before clicking through to a peek at the many-splendoured event itself, including a chance to see the accomplished and inspired short movie of TTK's story to date that premièred on the night. The energy levels never dropped after...
Yes, after much cajoling from friends and colleagues, I have finally set up a Dark Optimism Twitter account. Now that the glut of big TTK events is out of the way, I should soon be able to find time to post some original writing here again, but hopefully Twitter will allow me to keep things ticking over in the hectic times too! ps A slightly excitable post about Saturday's Big Launch Party/Great Unleashing to follow...- https://www.darkoptimism.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/10-03-26-Radio-EcoShock_Chamberlin_LoFi.mp3 Above is a 24 minute interview I did last week with Canada's excellent Radio Ecoshock. The full 60 minute show can be heard here. Dark Optimism readers may also be particularly interested in Ecoshock's recent "Expecting Collapse" edition, featuring interviews with Dmitry Orlov and John Michael Greer, as well as clips from Professor Joseph Tainter. Apologies to all those who've been visiting looking for this, I've been laid up in bed for the past couple of...
The latest video from the "Story of Stuff" team is launched today. A good piece of work, although given our global context, it's perhaps a little depressing that a message as obvious as this still needs to be pushed.
See below for an interview with the ever-insightful Richard Heinberg, discussing where we should put our efforts in the aftermath of the failure of the Copenhagen climate summit. It is well worth a watch, and you might want to consider spreading it to your contacts via the "Share This" link in the bottom right corner of this post. I heartily endorse his perspective, but disagree when he argues in support of carbon taxation at around...
Following on from our success in the local Green Awards, TTK has won 'Green Group of the Year' at the South London Awards. I was also highly commended in the Green Champion category, with my indefatigable friend Lucy Neal of Transition Town Tooting the deserving new holder of the title of Southwest London Green Champion. With the groundbreaking Our Kingston, Our Future documentary-creation and workshops also set to take place on the weekend of March...
Below the cut is the text of my latest article for the highly-recommended Resurgence magazine. They asked me to tell the story of my own personal journey thus far, and how I ended up doing what I do. Thanks to Resurgence for permission to reproduce it here (and on my articles page). --- Applied Philosophy Don’t ask what the world needs. Ask what makes you come alive, and go do it. --- For me, there was a definite moment...
I've just been sent this footage from a debate on carbon trading and offsetting I took part in at the Cheat Neutral event at the Science Museum's Dana Centre (video of the full event available at link, more on Cheat Neutral here). As will be obvious, this all took place in December, just prior to the Copenhagen conference. Eagle-eyed readers will also notice that I have created a new page on this website with full...
So here it is, the final proof that all Transitioners (me included) have been brainwashed to think alike! Two other vids, and an explanation of where they all came from, below the cut. Transition: What's that all about then? What's your 'Transition Vision'? These three videos were made by Andreas Teuchert via a simple process. He roamed the 2009 Transition Conference, pouncing on unsuspecting passers by and dragging us into a dark room to point...
Last night saw this year's local Green Awards ceremony, organised by the Royal Borough of Kingston and the Kingston Guardian newspaper. We were delighted that Transition Town Kingston beat off around twenty nominees to win the Green Group award, and that I am now Kingston's 'Green Champion'! (If they try to send me out to battle the mighty Red Champion of a neighbouring borough I'll point out that they have the wrong man, as evidenced by...
I just stumbled across this documentary (English with Dutch subtitles) following the story of the 70s/80s punk band Crass. They are still living wholeheartedly by their Do It Yourself ethos and "There is no authority but yourself" philosophy. A recommended watch.
"Tell everybody Waitin' for Superman That they should try to Hold on, best they can He hasn't dropped them, Forgot them, Or anything, It's just too heavy for Superman to lift" ~ The Flaming Lips We've all seen Hollywood movies in which humanity is threatened by an unstoppable force, powerful beyond comprehension, which is eventually, in the final climax, held back and thwarted by our hero straining every sinew and pushing really hard... Over recent weeks I have been in two meetings with Ed...
Above is a recording of a quick interview I gave immediately after speaking at the Scottish Parliament earlier this year, as part of the Holyrood 350 campaign.
I recommend David Attenborough's excellent documentary How Many People Can Live on Planet Earth?, which can be viewed on BBC iPlayer here for the next four days on YouTube here. He observes that the human population has increased from 2.5 billion to nearly 7 billion in his lifetime, and begins to ask some of the key questions about how we might respond to the challenges that brings. It was interesting to note, however, that despite...
The above 'Carbon IQ test' is an excellent way of exploring how much you know about the carbon cycle, and what that means for viable solutions to our climate challenge. Have a go at it before checking out the information below. The below diagram, by Peter Donovan of the Soil Carbon Coalition, shows the amount of carbon stored in each stage of the terrestrial carbon cycle, in which carbon moves from the atmosphere, to...
Off the back of taking part in CheatNeutral's spoof chat show 'Going Neutral' at the Science Museum, this feels like the perfect time to take a look at the concept of carbon offsetting, the most recognised example of which is the planting of trees to 'soak up' our carbon emissions, thus supposedly making our net impact 'carbon neutral'... Now there is no denying that the right trees, growing in the right place, are a truly...
The Story of Cap & Trade is the second offering from the project that brought us The Story of Stuff. In this ten minute video, host Annie Leonard presents an excellent, clearly explained look at some of the devil in the detail of Cap & Trade, explaining how it works and who it benefits. Having said that, it does leave out perhaps the most damning criticism of cap and trade schemes like the EU...
This is Dark Optimism's first ever guest post. The below article was originally published a week ago by Charles Eisenstein, on the Reality Sandwich web magazine. It blew me away, exploring the themes of cultural stories and definitions of self that will be familiar to my regular readers, yet bringing to light their deeper reaches in a way that I found both enlightening and exciting. It is longer than my usual contributions, but well worth...
As the evidence for the utter inapplicability of free market carbon trading to our climate emergency continues to pile up, interest continues to grow in the less PR-friendly alternative - the rationing of carbon-rated energy. Yesterday, the UK Government's All Party Parliamentary Group on Peak Oil and Gas previewed a draft report commissioned from The Lean Economy Connection. The report, which I co-authored with Dr. David Fleming, emphasises the necessity of considering our pressing energy...
A week after NASA's leading climate scientist Dr. James Hansen, actress Darryl Hannah and others crossed the line into illegal direct action in a desperate attempt to prevent coal mining and burning from ending our hopes of retaining a hospitable climate, twenty-nine protesters are standing trial here in England for a similar action last year. The 'Drax 29' admit stopping (safely) a coal train two miles outside the Drax power station in an attempt to...
This year's Climate Camp will run from Thurs 27th August to Weds 2nd Sept, at an as yet undeclared location in or around London (inside the M25). This year the camp will not be culminating in a 'direct action', but will instead be focusing on movement-building and skill-sharing. I'm helping to organise the workshop programme, and would encourage all Dark Optimism readers to consider offering a talk/workshop/debate, by following this link. The deadline has now...
It has been another crazy whirlwind of a month, with this weekend set to be the first in five which I get to spend in Transition Town Home, having spoken recently in Bungay, Glastonbury, Belsize Park and the Forest of Dean, as well at the Transition Conference (I hate that name, can't we call it a 'Gathering' or something?) in Battersea, and at the Sunrise Celebration Festival. One highlight for me was watching the world...
I was delighted to read this week that my recent article in Resurgence magazine has helped inspire Bill Wilson MSP to champion TEQs (Tradable Energy Quotas) in the ongoing debate on the Climate Change (Scotland) Bill. Speaking in the Scottish Parliament, Dr. Wilson highlighted that "climate change could be an opportunity for Scotland, rather than a malign threat, a driver for truly sustainable development. We will be a greener country, of course, but we could...
The latest version of the Transition Movie - In Transition 1.0 (post updated December 2009 to embed full movie - including an appearance from me around the 35 minute mark!)
The last month has been a bit of a blur, with very well-attended book launch events all over Britain, a two-day seminar at the Centre for Alternative Technology scoping out Zero Carbon Britain 2, more radio interviews, and even being caught on film for the first time (more practice required methinks!). While I've been zipping around, a number of people have requested a more detailed write-up on The Transition Timeline than I have so far...
Transition Town Kingston are hosting a pre-launch celebration of my new book, The Transition Timeline, at the Kingston Odeon on the 15th March (this Sunday) from 5:30pm. This event will also form part of the nationwide People's Premiere of new film The Age of Stupid, directed by the inspirational Franny Armstrong, produced by Oscar-winning John Battsek, and starring Oscar-nominated Pete Postlethwaite. Tickets for the event are £10 and can be ordered here. For this you...
(Just a quickie, but the frantic process of preparing my book for publication is nearly complete, so posting here will resume in earnest soon. I have so many half-written posts to finish up! In the meantime, check out the below radio interview I did with Carl Munson of Traydio.com the other day)
I spent a few hours this Christmas watching former Pfizer Vice President Chris Martenson's Crash Course, which undertakes the daunting task of presenting the overarching interplay of economics, energy and environment in today's world, and doing it in a friendly, accessible way. He does an impressive job, and it's all broken down into easily digestible videos from 2-15 minutes long. His simple indisputable explanations of topics such as why economic growth does not equal prosperity...
"A person will worship something, have no doubt about that. We may think our tribute is paid in secret in the dark recesses of our hearts, but it will out. That which dominates our imaginations and our thoughts will determine our lives, and our character. Therefore, it behooves us to be careful what we worship, for what we are worshipping we are becoming." ~ Ralph Waldo Emerson I have often written on the topic of...
Last month I discussed some of the national and international developments that are shaping our future, but in spite of the ongoing climate talks in Poznan, today I'd like to focus on the importance of local-level action. Amidst all the focus on global climate agreements it's easy to forget that agreeing a tightening global cap on emissions is not a solution in itself - such a cap would be meaningless without on-the-ground solutions and lifestyle...
On Monday the six-week first phase of the Superstruct experiment came to its conclusion. The Superstruct game website remains open to visitors, but will no longer be updated with new plot points, missions, weekly updates etc. During phase 1 the site received over 50,000 visitors, with almost 7,000 players registering on the site, who between them told over 1,250 stories of their lives in 2019 and created over 500 superstructures in response to the challenges...
Despite the cute hypothesis that in doing so I risk damning the human race to eternal underachievement, I'm going out on a limb today and encouraging computer gaming. I fancy the entertainment value of Oiligarchy might just do as much to shift the cultural stories around peak oil as a hundred carefully-crafted essays. It's free, easy, doesn't take long to play through and it might just raise a smile or two! Give it a go...
What with the founding of the new UK Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC), our Government's commitment to 80% emissions cuts by 2050, the election of Barack Obama, the International Energy Agency acknowledging that "current global trends in energy supply and consumption are patently unsustainable" and the latest shudders of the moribund economic system, a lot has happened since my last post. In fact I have had a real sense, both through public events...
The "You and Yours" programme on BBC Radio 4 this week held a studio discussion on Peak Oil, with energy investment banker Matt Simmons, peak oil educator Richard Heinberg and the Chair of the UK All Party Parliamentary Group on Peak Oil, John Hemming MP. The 12 minute discussion can be heard above or here and includes discussion of the options open to the UK government, including Tradable Energy Quotas (TEQs).
An ingeniously clear and engaging 11 minute animation explaining why the next few years are the most important humanity has ever faced, or will ever face. We who are lucky enough to be alive now are effectively the most powerful people who will ever live, and future generations are breathlessly watching our every choice. More information on the animation and the thorough research behind it can be found at: http://wakeupfreakout.org/
Superstruct is a new massively-multiplayer online game in which players like you will invent the future of our world. In 2019 the Global Extinction Awareness System (GEAS) has just reported that humanity may face extinction by the year 2042 and people around the world are mobilising to respond (GEAS report available here). There are five intersecting 'Superthreats' which are the main drivers behind this projection, and I will be guiding the community focusing on ameliorating the...
A very watchable 9 minute video outlining the mass extinction taking place on our planet right now - an event with substantially more significance for our lives than the infamous tragedy that took place seven years ago today. Lest we forget, humanity is dependent on the web of life for our food, our drinking water and even our oxygen. The dominant cultural story of our separation from Nature is transparently, demonstrably false.
We are all familiar with the concept of climate change, and the need for reduced carbon emissions, but really getting a handle on the scale of the problem can be difficult, thanks to all the confusing terminology. I looked all over the web for a straightforward comprehensive explanation of terms like Global Warming Potential (GWP) and the different meanings of CO2equivalent but I couldn't find it, so eventually I decided to spend some of my...
Last month I attended an Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR) meeting called to announce their latest research into personal carbon allowances. Polly Toynbee was invited to chair the meeting, and was clearly impressed with what she heard as she has now written a very positive article about TEQs in her column in the Guardian. In it she reminds us of DEFRA's description of the scheme as "ahead of its time" and derides the...
(pic - yesterday's non-violent direct action at Kingsnorth, courtesy of Indymedia) I'm back from this year's Climate Camp, and was deeply impressed with what I found there, both in terms of the organisation of the site (carried out largely by social anarchists) and the attitude and behaviour of the protesters. The Camp is still running as I write, and I know large numbers of people are remaining to clear the site of all traces of our...
The Camp for Climate Action starts this Sunday and runs for just over a week, until Monday 11th August. I will be there giving a workshop in partnership with the Zero Carbon Britain team (on the Wednesday - full workshop list here), and I urge all of you in the UK to come along too, whether for the whole week, for the weekend, or just for a day. This is the gathering of the wonderfully...
I am honoured to have been shortlisted for this year's Sheila McKechnie Foundation Environmental Campaigner Award, for my work on TEQs. The Sheila McKechnie Foundation was established in 2005 to help develop a new generation of campaigners who are tackling the root causes of injustice. Set up in memory of Dame Sheila McKechnie, the Foundation is dedicated to helping campaigners create positive and lasting social change. They run programmes for individuals and groups providing support, advice...
Since my earlier review of Burn Up I have discovered a comment on the film posted yesterday by Jeremy Leggett, one of the few with any media profile to openly discuss the interplay of peak oil and climate change. In his piece Leggett asks: "Why do the carbon-club lobbyists and contrarians do what they do? What is in their heads as they go about their work? Surely they must see the power of the emerging...
I have just watched the BBC's outstanding thriller Burn Up, starring Rupert Penry-Jones, Marc Warren, Bradley Whitford and Neve Campbell (trailer available here). It is a dramatic account of the intrigue, betrayal, sex and violence surrounding characters in the oil industry, international diplomacy and the environmental movement in the build up to the international conference that will decide on the successor to the Kyoto Protocol. For those who haven't yet seen it, be aware that...
Thanks to the Oil Drum's Peak Oil Media Watch I recently came across this fascinating video clip from the "Fast Money" programme on American business news channel CNBC. In the extract the studio panel are discussing the rise in oil prices and - as is the show's theme - how to make money from it. Their studio guest is Joe Terranova, who appears to be a typical energy investment type (though with an incredibly expressive...
In thinking about the significance of dancing, I am also reminded of Dance United, an innovative organisation who recognise the powerful force that dance can represent in unlocking the potential of individuals and communities. I met some members of their team when speaking at the recent 2gether08 event, and was deeply impressed with their work with the same kinds of marginalised individuals I used to meet in my earlier teaching work. For more information...
Those of you who know me personally will be aware that the indescribable exhilaration of physical movement to music (more commonly termed 'dancing') is my greatest release and joy. Over the past couple of weeks I have been much enjoying the latest issue of Resurgence magazine, which focuses on the theme 'Music for transformation'. I have learnt, to my delight, that one of the founders of quantum mechanics, Werner Heisenberg, told his students that they should...
My mother pointed out to me that on Saturday Colin Challen MP, Chair of the UK Government's All Party Parliamentary Climate Change Group, had a letter published in the Guardian. After numerous other eminently sensible suggestions about how the Government should be stepping up its response to climate change he concluded with the following: "And most urgently we need to recognise that early carbon reductions are the most important step, and that will only happen with...
As George Carlin once said, "they call it the American dream because you have to be asleep to believe in it". At the risk of this blog becoming 'review corner', that seems the perfect introduction to the book I just finished reading - Dmitry Orlov's brilliantly enjoyable Reinventing Collapse. This is a true work of dark optimism, with a fair dash of dark humour to boot. In it, Orlov draws on his experiences of the collapse...- Having now had the privilege to see this film twice as it has developed I can't wait to witness the impact its full release will have on shifting the consciousness of the world around the issue of climate change. The breadth of vision, brilliance of presentation and intimacy of communication combine to make this by far the most powerful call to awareness and action on this issue I have yet encountered. My heartfelt congratulations...
I find myself wondering if our current political system (like so much else in our modern culture) might be partially a product of the bonanza of abundant cheap energy we have been enjoying for the last century or two. Have we been so comfortable that the pressure has been off for our decision makers? Now I am certainly no student of politics, and my musings should be taken with that proviso, but it has always...
Lately I seem to be encountering many climate change activists who have a blind spot when it comes to peak oil. At present, Friends of the Earth appear to be particularly prone to this. They assert that climate change is overwhelmingly urgent (no arguments from me there) and so that the depletion of fossil fuels is largely irrelevant. In fact they argue that it can only be good news, limiting the availability of these dangerous...
The old standby argument of the so-called 'peak oil sceptics' was that if we really were facing geological limits to oil extraction rates then prices would be rising rapidly. Since prices were relatively stable there was clearly no impending problem. And anyway, if prices started rising (to, say, $70 a barrel) that would stimulate much increased exploration and production and bring prices back down again. So go back to sleep and don't let the...
In the climate policy community there is a growing debate between advocates of 'upstream' and 'downstream' carbon caps (dams?). The terms draw an analogy between the flow of water in a stream and the flow of energy through an economy. 'Upstream' advocates want to regulate the few dozen fuel and energy companies that bring carbon into the economy, arguing that this is cheaper and simpler than addressing the behaviour of tens of millions of...
Last week Mark Lynas wrote an article for the New Statesman in which he surprisingly argued against carbon rationing. As he acknowledges, this is a complete reversal from his earlier article in which he argued for it in the strongest of terms. Unfortunately, I believe his thinking on this is moving in the wrong direction. His argument is essentially that we need the cheapest, simplest way of implementing a firm global carbon cap. I absolutely...
At the national gathering of the Transition Towns last month we were privileged to be shown an advance screening of the forthcoming "The Age of Stupid" film. The film stars Oscar-nominated actor Pete Postlethwaite as an old man living in the devastated world of 2055, looking back at "archive" footage from 2008, asking "Why didn't we stop climate change when we had the chance?". Written & directed by "McLibel" filmmaker Franny Armstrong and produced by Oscar-winning...
Today the UK Parliament's Environmental Audit Committee (EAC), tasked with evaluating the Government's environmental progress, published their report into Personal Carbon Trading, finding that "personal carbon trading could be essential in helping to reduce our national carbon footprint". They also state, in keeping with the conclusions of our own response to DEFRA's pre-feasibility study: "We regret that...the Government is indicating that it will wind down its work on personal carbon trading...Although we commend the Government...
As I mentioned in my earlier post, last week I met Polly Higgins, The Lazy Environmentalist. She specialises in CSP, and informed me that we may now be seeing serious political movement towards an EU-MENA supergrid bringing CSP-generated electricity to Europe from the deserts of North Africa and the Middle East. For those not familiar with the concept, CSP is not about photovoltaic solar panels, but rather the simple use of mirrors to focus solar...
This is just a quick post to point people towards the DEFRA pre-feasibility study into TEQs that came out earlier this month, and in particular the critical responses to it posted by the Centre for Sustainable Energy and The Lean Economy Connection (pdf) (this one written by David Fleming and myself), in which we argue that a number of important misunderstandings are contained in the study, and that DEFRA’s consequent decision to delay a...
On Tuesday I spoke on TEQs at the House of Commons to a joint meeting of the All Party Parliamentary Group on Peak Oil and Gas (APPGOPO) and the All Party Parliamentary Group on Climate Change. An audio recording of my presentation, and those of my co-speakers - Rob Hopkins of Transition Towns and Simon Snowden of Liverpool University's Oil Depletion Impact Group - can be found on the APPGOPO website, along with our slides. My...
Vote for Ken Livingstone - the future of our world may depend on it. Having worked with the Energy and Climate Change teams at City Hall it's clear that they're desperate for Ken to win another term, although for obvious reasons they won't say it openly. Love him or loathe him, he's one of very few politicians treating climate change with the ultimate seriousness it deserves. Ken's target of a 60% emissions reduction for London by...
There was an interesting discussion on Newsnight last night regarding green taxation. The programme can be seen free-of-charge for the next 6 days through the BBC iPlayer The full feature is no longer available online, but is summarised below. The three guests for the discussion were Sian Berry, Green Party London Mayoral candidate; Stephen Hale, Director of the Green Alliance; and Kenneth Clarke, former Conservative Chancellor of the Exchequer. TEQs (or Personal Carbon Quotas as...
Last night was an exciting one for me, as an event that I dreamt up actually came to fruition. I have been feeling for a while that the public mood has moved on - virtually everyone is now aware of the challenge of climate change, but very few people actually feel like they know what they should do about it. Indeed, I was in a similar position a couple of years ago, and it took...
UPCOMING EVENTS
SURVIVING THE FUTURE: CONVERSATIONS FOR OUR TIME
Online Course with Shaun Chamberlin
In these times of profound change, this interactive, flexible online course is designed to build and inspire a global community of those seeking out new insights and paths forward, in our diverse localities.
We'll take a long moment to pull back and think together — to share conversation — in the company of some of the most compelling experts who have been thinking about today's challenges for a long time.
"As people surrender the power to build the institutions they want, which would enable lives that make sense to them, the system as a whole sacrifices the intelligence it needs: it loses its minds. "
—David Fleming, Lean Logic: A Dictionary for the Future and How to Survive It
Let us not talk falsely now, the hour is getting late.
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MAY 31 – JULY 25, 2021
'The Deeper Dive'
anticipated teachers include Paul Kingsnorth, Kali Akuno, Eve Annecke, David Abram
