Climate Change, Peak Oil and Food Security - a high-speed Rollercoaster
and you are a Passenger
Rathfarnham Parish Eco CongretationAs Christians we want to help and improve the needs of others, but our efforts to help others are countered by a strong sense of self-preservation and emotional attachment to the present - 'what we have we hold for our selves, children and grandchildren'. Do we use our Christian conscience and our readings of The New Testament to think through our actions and decisions? Or do we deny the logic of fossil fuel depletion and rapid Climate Change and listen to the powerful actors "mostly politicans, big business, advertisers", who constantly reassure us of 'a good future, business as usual, no problem, just don't rock the boat' because we are afraid of the future and seek comfort in false gods. Now is the time to prepare to change the future - because we think we're protected as we live on a rich, industrialized island with a moderate climate it's easy to become a 'NIMBY'. But do the things that make sense to you; insulate your home; embrace the challenges; prepare for the future. Millions of people living in the poorest countries (and some of the richest!) are already on the edge of survival; if we do not reduce our CO2 emissions and our thoughtless comsumption within this generation, we are in for a wild ride!
Why the fuss? Fossil Fuel Depletion, Climate Change (Natural and Man-made) and Food Security is reality bringing changes everywhere. Across the world extreme weather, growing deserts, droughts, melting ice-caps, storms, flooding, slums, refugees, erratic food, energy pricing, job & debt issues are hurting people. Our parent's and grandparent's lives changed enormously from 1905 to 1955 with the Petroleum-age, the world population grew from 2.5 billion in 1950 on the back of cheap, plentiful fossil fuel energy, to 6.8 billion today and a projected 9 billion in 2050. But with expensive energy and less farmland where will our food come from? Energy decline can be just as deadly as any human enemy but, like climate change, its effects will become apparent within 40 years! Governments need to make the big decisions, but if we will make small changes in our lives and community now may make future changes easier. Ideas and community initatives generated by ourselves might help Rathfarnham Parish recognise and tackle environmental issues at home, and help to link us to those who are suffering.
In Ireland we have an island, temperate, west continental climate; so we should be able to cope with the immediate problems:
Food & Gardening Households & Energy
Drinkable water for homes and agriculture - Trends suggest that Dublin City and it's farming areas will get less rainfall than needed each year. We need to work on water conservation; stop leaks; store rainwater and recycle grey water for gardening; and use clean water efficently. Health recommendations are to drink a pint of clean, safe water a day to maintain a healthy existence. The 1.5 million people in Dublin City use 550 million litres per day or 366 litres per person for hygiene, cooking and growing food. When we import food, especially meat, we are taking water from other countries. We can survive with less oil, but not without water.
Explore this Toyota USA sponsored site - an online website to learn about water quality, water conservation and watershed issues. Throughout this site you'll find 4-H's “Exploring Your Environment” Grab-n-Go's and information on how you can address water issues in the community. Get started by watching the vodcast series "A Day Without Water" to learn more about how you can make an impact in your community! Water issues are a worldwide issue! Learn more .....
- "Professor Kjell Aleklett of Uppsala University writes and talks about Swedens (& our) dependence on oil and the threats to our way of life. One thousand calories of food on the table now need 5,000-7,000 calories of oil to get there. Next time you sit down to table, you should think; I eat oil. Agriculture is now totally dependent on fossil fuels."
Food is dependent on light & heat from the sun, oil and water, for transport, fertilizer and irrigation to grow from seed or animal birth to harvest, from farm to factory to shop. We will increasingly rely on locally produced food from gardens, green-houses, allottements and farms. Sustainable and recycling of clothes, wool, linen and leather will lead to locally produced clothing. Re-using the sun's energy in biomass to keep creating energy-crops should not take land used for food. Tax subsidies in richer nations for energy crops mean we import food from poorer countries, where many local peoples can no longer afford a good food diet. In Germany in 2007 more than 10 percent of their agricultural land was used to grow energy crops with a focus on oilseed rape cultivation for the production of biodiesel.
Energy Availability
- Energy is everything - No living or manufactured thing exists on this planet without energy. It enables flowers and people to grow. We need energy to mine minerals, extract oil or cut wood and then to process these into finished goods. Without energy the goods would not exist so we can think of each product as containing “embodied energy”. So the most fundamental definition of money is that it is a mechanism to allow the exchange and allocation of different forms of energy. The economy is energy.
The most important source of energy in the world economy is hydrocarbons - molecules made up of hydrogen and carbon atoms. Small hydrocarbon molecules form gases such as natural gas. Larger molecules form the liquid we know as crude oil. Hydrocarbons can be burned to provide heat energy to power generators and motors. Almost all transport relies on liquid hydrocarbon energy. Hydrocarbons are also incredibly useful for making plastics. It is difficult to find any manufactured thing that does not now include plastic. Oil and natural gas provide almost 2/3rds of the energy used in the world economy. A simpler way to say this is that hydrocarbons are 2/3rds of the world economy.
Until recently (about 2005) the world economy was growing. The population has been increasing which requires increased production of food, clothing and shelter - the basics. On top of this, many of us have been using more energy than previously - to travel farther, eat more food, buy additional clothes and enhance our homes. Until 2005 we could expand our energy use to meet this demand. This is something we were able to do - with occasional interruptions - for the past 150 years. However, after 2005 we could not expand our energy supply. In other words we could not expand the world economy.
Once energy is in decline the recent pervasive economic lie that everyone can become wealthier can no longer be sustained. Now one person’s increased wealth can only come at the expense of another person’s worsened poverty. Actually, it is worse than a zero sum game since the economy is not just failing to grow - it is actually contracting at the same time as the number of consumers (population) is expanding. We have come to a fork in the road where we can either share a contracting pool of wealth (energy) equally or it can become concentrated in the hands of a few to the detriment of the many.
With a declining tax revenue from lower economic activity, governments may not afford to make the required investments in energy infrastructure, and it will be left for-profit businesses, individuals and local communities to cope with energy decline. As individuals we can drastically reduce our need for energy (our money expenditure) by growing our own food, living closer to our place of work and so on. Growing our own food is, of course, a method for capturing solar energy, i.e. it is a method for earning energy income. This energy in food can then be exchanged for forms of embodied energy such as items manufactured by others. For human beings, food is the ultimate currency. .............
Read the complete article by Michael LardelliSo how can we city dwellers make it easier for ourselves:
Energy for homes, industry, and agriculture - 99% of the fuel used in Ireland for cars, lorries, tractors, buses is imported from outside the EU. Electricity generation is 76% reliant on imports of gas, coal & oil. As production and exports fall from Russia, the Middle East and Africa, the increasing domestic use of energy in these regions and increased demand in China and India will mean reduced exports to Ireland at higher prices.
Living in Ireland may mean living within walking distance, or close to public transport routes, of shops, churches, schools, work and play, driving electrical vehicles, riding bicycles, using work-horses as traction on farms and city streets. What does Rathfarnham need to be a 20-minute neighbourhood?
Could we harness local wind in Marlay and Bushy Parks, Solar Hot Water and PVs on our roofs, compost and biochar our waste vegetation and maybe take micro-hydro energy from the River Dodder; localise technologies to create electricity and liquid fuel and other essentials and use them within the wider Rathfarnham community?
As Christians living in an affluent country we have the power to make alternative choices motivated by our care for our neighbours on the Earth. We are being called to help. Peak Oil (or Fossil Fuel decline) and Climate Change are big deals. The likely economic restructuring that will accompany both of them is a big deal. Change is coming and it's more than changing light bulbs! But it isn’t the end of the world, or at least, it need not be. While no single person can save the planet on their own, we can each do our bit as individuals and as a Church.
Rathfarnham Parish
See www.ecocongregationireland.org for further details.
Trees are a natural defence against climate change. But not only that! As well as being essential to protect the future of the earth, they are also necessary for the future of the economy. According to a recent EU-commissioned study, the global economy is losing more money from the disappearance of forests than through the current banking crisis. Incredible!Food
Look at your grocery shopping; vegetables from industrial-scale farms in Kenya, apples from New Zealand, onions from Chile! Many foods or ingredients travel thousands of miles before they come to rest on your plate. Climate change is creating droughts and floods, and making it harder for local people to grow or afford food to feed themselves.
If we’re to have enough to eat in the future, we must build local food and energy systems, which means we all need to find our existing local farmers, local food and clothing shops and support them right now, while cutting out wasted food. Consider the 100-Mile Diet - Shop Local, Eat Local. Read the website of Sharon Astyk for many more of her thought provoking ideas. For example I remember as a child, my mother and grand-mother cooking enough sour Spanish oranges, each January, to make 12 months supply of marmalade, with extra pots for friends and neighbours, and through the year making jam, jellies and chutneys from home-grown or locally-grown garden produce. Does it happen still?
What can we do? Enfo.ie suggest "Buy Local Produce - Part of a 100-mile diet. We, as consumers, can do a lot to help protect our natural heritage. By buying local produce you are directly helping to support an Irish farmer’s income. This goes a long way in helping to stop the European wide trend of intensification, specialisation, 'just-in-time' delivery and loss of heritage plants and animals. In addition transport costs and their environmental impact are reduced. Shop at Farmers Markets - Farmers receive a much smaller percentage of the price of food items than many people realise. By shopping at a farmers market the items often cost you less, while the majority of the price paid goes directly to the farmer. Many producers at farmers markets are farming organically."
This amusing cartoon by the Japanese Ministry for Agriculture, Forestry and Fish (MAFF) illustrates the Japanese position regarding future food security for Japanese consumers. Note in the amimation the amount of oil-using tractors, ships, trucks and cars needed to move food around from farm or water to table. Though our traditional diets are very different, it could apply to Ireland, where we are also suffering obesity issues and food waste, while many countries from which we buy food are suffering chaotic social issues. I first viewed the cartoon on the blog 'Stuffed and Starved' of Raj Patel.
Lifestyle Choices
Eco-Collapse? According to the 2007 book, "Heat: How to Stop the Planet From Burning," by Guardian columnist George Monbiot, the world must reduce carbon emissions by 90% by 2030 to avert an ecosystem collapse, and achieving the cut will mean "the end of foreign holidays -- the end of shopping trips to New York, parties in Ibiza, second homes in Tuscany." Think Globally & Act Locally - Be the Change!
October Eco Tip 1 Mobile phones
Resist the lure to update your mobile phone more than necessary. And when you need a new phone, be sure to recycle your old one (many charities can make money from your cast-offs and re-usable phones can often be used in developing countries). The average mobile phone contains around 30 elements, including copper, lithium and lead, which can be toxic in landfill. Also, remember to unplug your phone charger when not in use to avoid emitting up to 7kg of CO2 each year while cutting down your ESB bill.November Eco Tip 2 - INSULATE
Insulate your loft with 300/400mm (12"/16") insulating material and replace old window frames with 20mm double or triple glazing to keep in as much heat as possible. While these first two steps may not turn as many heads as a PV or SHW solar panel or a wind turbine, installing decent insulation is one of the most significant things you can do to reduce your home's carbon footprint, cut heat loss by up to 20%, reduce your heating bill and cut your CO2 emissions by 700kg every year. One home wouldn't maker a difference but 1,000 or 1,000,000 homes every year will! In addition, close curtains and blinds each evening, keep doors closed and fix draught excluders around doors, windows and letter boxes.DECEMBER Eco Tip
*Why not make your own Christmas cards and decorations this year?
*When shopping, avoid goods which involve unnecessary packaging.
*Buy drinks in large containers, rather than in a lot of small ones.
*Avoid using paper plates, cups and serviettes if you are planning a party.
*Buy Recycled! - products such as glasses, stationery etc.
*Give gift vouchers for a garden centre, cinema, theatre or favourite Charity.
*Bring your postage stamps to Church. We give them to charity.
*Recycle the cards & paper as well as the Christmas tree you got from the Scouts!JANUARY ECO TIP - WHEN NEXT BUYING A CAR ~ Choose the smallest car and engine that will meet your everyday needs. Look for the lowest emissions in your chosen category and save money on both fuel and tax. ~ When you use your car, be sure to drive efficiently. Slow down! And move up to top gear as soon as possible without accelerating harder than necessary. Avoid excess weight or drag, as it costs you fuel. ~ Check tyre pressure regularly and get your car serviced regularly to ensure the engine is running efficiently. Did you know that an aggressive driving style characterised by sharp acceleration, high speeds and hard braking reduces travel time by only 4% on average, while increasing fuel consumption by up to 40%?! Give the money you save to charity.
FEBRUARY ECO TIP - Be energy efficent! Don't leave televisions or computers on standby - switch them off when not in use. Use energy efficent light bulbs - when a light bulb runs out, replace it with an energy-efficent one. Energy-efficent light bulbs last 12 years as long as traditional bulbs.
If you decide to upgrade your TV/Computer, don't throw it away - take it to a second-hand shop, so someone else can use it. Computers can be restored and sent overseas - see www.camara.ie. If it's broken, recycle it.
It is now illegal (as well as lethal to the environment) to send electrical and battery-operated items to landfill. Did you know that it is free to enter Ballyogan Recycling Centre if you are ONLY disposing of WEEE (Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment)? If you are thinking of buying a new computer, why not consider buying one of the world's first ecologically safe computers from MicroPro, 98 Nutgrove Avenue? See www.iameco.com.ECO TIP for APRIL
Buying locally is one of the most important things you can do to improve the environment. Support your local farmers’ markets – Marley Park on Saturdays and the organic market stall in front of Rathfarnham Educate Together School every Thursday 1-5pm. When supermarket shopping, check where food has come from. It’s surprising just how far some of our foods have been transported. Avoid food miles by buying locally grown, seasonal products. One kilo of New Zealand apples accounts for its own weight in CO2 transmissions by the time it arrives in Ireland. The food in a typical Sunday dinner could have been transported 49,000 miles (equivalent to twice around the world), releasing 37kg of carbon dioxide. Did you know that CO2 emissions due to human activities are responsible for more than 60% of the increase in the greenhouse effect?
ECO TIP for MAY - How 'green' is your garden?
Creating a ‘green’ garden will encourage wildlife and give you lots of opportunities to conserve resources and recycle waste. Water the garden only when absolutely necessary. Get a water butt in which to collect rainwater for use in the garden. You could also get a system to filter and reuse ‘grey’ water from the kitchen and bathroom. Water plants and shrubs in the cool of the morning or early evening, to minimise loss from evaporation. Did you know a garden sprinkler can use 1,000 litres of water in one hour? Use home-made compost (made with kitchen and garden scraps) on flower beds and mulches of wood chips, bark or gravel around plants to help keep moisture in the soil.
ECOTIP for JUNE
Leave the car at home! Resist the temptation to automatically step into the car every time you need to make a journey. If it is a short journey, walk or cycle. If it is too long to walk or cycle, then why not take public transport? Or arrange to car pool for regular trips to school/work/church. When you do take the car, try and do as many messages as possible in one trip. Encourage others to do the same!
ECOTIP for SEPTEMBER ~ Use paper wisely!
Reduce the amount of paper you use by correcting documents on your computer and avoid unnecessary printing. Reuse both sides of the paper and print draft documents on scrap. Recycle all of your waste paper. Buy recycled paper. Each tonne of recycled paper can save 17 trees, enough electricity to heat your house for six months, nearly 32,000 litres of water and 2.3 cubic metres of landfill space.
OCTOBER Eco Tip ~ Pick Up a piece of Litter EVERY Day!
What if 100,000 people picked up a piece of litter each day? How might the world change? If you did, how might you feel about yourself? And your environment? The Litter Project, a movement that started in the U.S, encourages people to pick up a piece of litter each day and to tell others about it. Hopefully they will do the same! It is a simple, tangible way to make a daily difference to the world. If you tell people about your daily habit, you will surely inspire at least a few more supporters. See www.litterproject.com.
NOVEMBER Eco Tip ~ Invest the eco way!
Saving for a pension/education fees/retirement dreams - by choosing a green or ethical investment option, investors can make a positive difference to society and the environment. Green and ethical investments can encourage corporate social responsibility and help fund solutions to global problems. Investing to support social justice and prevent environmental degradation. Climate change, human rights and poverty alleviation are all issues that are being addressed by green and ethical investments today. See www.neiw.org
RECYCLING
We still take stamps & spectacles for recycling. We also take old mobile phones for the Jack & Jill Charity. A new item has been added to the list HEARING AIDS! Just put unused item into an envelope and give to Heather Wilkinson, Phyllis Whyte or the church wardens. Please leave items for recycling at the back of the church or with the church wardens. Many thanks in anticipation. Heather
GARDENING
Spring will soon be here! Your gardens are bursting with plants needing to be divided! Please would you remember the garden stall, and split off a second piece of whatever you are dividing, and pot it on for us? If you don't want to house and tend it, bring it to church and give it either to me, or the Rectory and I'll collect and nurture it. Please could we have any large pots or planters you aren't going to use this year too, so we can pot them up ahead of time? Many thanks for all contributions, Nicola.
Date for Your 2010 Diary! – Parish Fete Garden Stall – Saturday 15th May 2010 - Ideas from Rathfarnham Eco Group - A Seed (or seedling?) Swap Sunday .. perhaps ask Bryan to lead a workshop on growing your own fruit/veg for those who are interested, but don't yet know how?! Sell boxes of mixed veg seedlings at the fete for those who need a start? To develop these Eco Ideas - speak to Nicola/Fiona.The ISSA is a voluntary organisation dedicated to the location and preservation of traditional varieties of fruit and vegetables. The Association maintains a seed bank which distributes seed of these non-commercially available vegetables, as well as a network of heritage potatoes. Read more ............ (Opens a new website)
/// ///
Last update: Wednesday, November 18, 2009
Link to Church of Ireland Website
|
|
Link to Marriage Council Website |  |