We of the 21st century are facing a lot of challenges. The main ones are the end of the age of cheap oil, the major shifts taking place in the Earth's climate, and the realignment of the world's economic system. There are two ways to look at those changes, as a threat - the end of life as we know it - and as an opportunity - a chance to reclaim a simpler, richer, happier life.
There are a lot of people out there screaming about the threats they see in the coming changes; Transition is a way to see the changes as opportunities, and prepare to meet them and gain from them. Here are some books to help you understand the concept of Transition:
The Transition Handbook: From Oil Dependency to Local
Resilience
by Rob Hopkins
This is the reference work about the Transition
movement; it presents a way that the inevitable changes
facing us in this century can be greeted as improvements
to our quality of life, instead of feared as forces that
are bringing our life to an end.
It gives a step-by-step process by which communities can
prepare for a graceful, even joyful transition from our
oil-addicted society to a truly sustainable, resilient one.
The Transition Handbook Discussion Course
This document was created by three members of Sustainable NE
Seattle - Joann Kerr, Susan Gregory, and Leo Brodie.
It "offers concrete strategies for engaging with the local
community to build resilience against possible threats
including climate instability, resource depletion, and
financial downsizing, providing a positive vision for
turning our global predicament into an opportunity. "
The Transition Timeline: for a Local, Resilient Future
By Shaun Chamberlin
This book is a a follow-up to The Transition Handbook;
it is a guide on how to best use science and culture to
adapt to our the situation that will be facing us in a
post-oil world.
It sets out an "ideal" future, then offers a map and timeline
for reaching that future, starting here and now.
Transition Initiatives Primer
Two versions of this book are available on-line in PDF format -
a British version and a United States Version:
*
The British version
is by Ben Brangwyn and the author of The Transition
Handbook, Rob Hopkins.
*
The US version
is by Jennifer Gray, Founder & President of Transition US.
It's a sort of implementation manual for The Transition
Handbook, and includes references to other materials
on the concept.
Future Scenarios: How Communities Can Adapt to Peak
Oil and Climate Change
by David Holmgren
"In Future Scenarios, permaculture co-originator and
leading sustainability innovator David Holmgren outlines
four scenarios that bring to life the likely cultural,
political, agricultural, and economic implications of
peak oil and climate change, and the generations-long era
of 'energy descent' that faces us."
The four scenarios presented in this short, accessible
book are variations of how slowly or quickly the two major
changes - the end of the age of oil and global climate
change - actually occur.
The great thing about this short book is that the entire text
is on-line, to be read for free.
Go to
the book's home page
and read it now!
A Vision for 2012: Planning for Extraordinary Change
by John L. Petersen
John L. Peterson, a futurist whose predictions like the 2008
financial collapse) have been coming true, has written this
book to pass on his ideas of how to prepare for what's coming.
As the publisher's summary says,
"Many believe that the world is entering a time of monumental
historic change that will accelerate in the next five years.
Our leaders need to be prepared to address life-altering
events such as a rapid climate change, a severe restriction
of the oil supply, a tipping point in the global financial
system, a bird flu epidemic, or a new level of
sophistication among terrorists, argues noted futurist John
Petersen in this timely and insightful book."