Our Local Future

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Our Local Future Planning f
or Energy and Climate Uncertainty 
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Planning for Energy and Climate Uncertainty
Peak oil and climate change are impacting both e
cosystems and the economy, and will continue to
do so in ways that cannot be easily predicted.
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Governments should take a three-pronged
approach to addressing these uncertainties
1. Identify vulnerabilities 2. Reduce vulnerabi
lities 3. Plan for long-term changes
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Peak oil and Energy Uncertainty Peak oil is whe
n total global oil production stops growing and
begins irreversible decline.
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Oil Officials See Limit Looming on Production
The world is approaching a practical limit to the
number of barrels of crude oil that can be pumped
every day. Wall Street Journal, front page arti
cle, November 21, 2007
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The fundamental factors of world oil supply and
demand
are changing. ???
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Oil is Unique Oil is absolutely essential to th
e most basic functions of civilization.
There are no viable substitutes for oil at curre
nt rates of consumption. The global economic sy
stem is built on the assumption that oil will
always be readily available and affordable.
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Global warming and Climate Uncertainty There
is great uncertainty regarding how climate change
will impact various regions in the future.
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Climate change has already causes major
environmental and economic changes, and is
suspect of causing many others.

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Peak Oil and Economic Uncertainties Video

8 minutes
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Our Local Future Planning f
or Energy and Climate Uncertainty 
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Time is short to prepare for peak oil and climat
e change Replace distant resources with local r
esources

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More than 87 cities and communities in the U.S. h
ave
begun to work on local sustainability.
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Reduce greenhouse gas emissions
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The book PostCarbon Cities Planning for Energy a
nd Climate Uncertainty provides guidance and
support to local government officials and sta
ff to identify and meet local sustainability g
oals  
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Local governments should take a
three-pronged approach to addressing
energy and climate uncertainty
1 Identify vulnerabilities 2 Reduce vulnerabili
ties 3 Plan for long-term changes
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The most direct strategy for achieving these
goals is Reduce energy consumption 2. Prod
uce energy and other products
and services locally
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Locally produced energy can be from
wind, solar or water
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Cogeneration is the use of a heat engine or a
power station to simultaneously generate both
electricity and useful heat
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Locally produced food will be critical
to the sustainability of our community
and Barry County
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Permaculture is a contraction of
permanent agriculture or permanent culture.
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The days of the 3000-mile-caesar salad
are coming to a close
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The challenge for local governments is not to
predict the future, but to plan for the future
using appropriate tools and accurate
information.
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Long-term community goals 1. Break community
dependence on oil 2. Stop community contributi
ons to climate change 3. Prepare the community
to thrive in a time of Energy Uncertainty a
nd Climate Uncertainty
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Our recommendation is Establish a Task Force o
n sustainability to quickly identifythe challe
nges and the vulnerabilities our community
will face in the coming years
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A sustainable society is one that satisfies it
s needs without diminishing the prospects of
future generations.
Lester Brown, Worldwatch Institute
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Our Local Future Depends on
the decisions we all make today