Confronting Change: peak oil and the big society

Michael Meacher MP, Rob Hopkins, Alexis Rowell and Polly Higgins - come join the big debate!

These are seriously inspiring speakers. Transition Finsbury Park has managed to bring them together for an unmissable event at the Southbank Centre on December 16th, from 6.30 pm. It's called Confronting Change: peak oil and the big society. More info and tickets here: http://transitionfinsburypark.org.uk/ConfrontingChange

We are really proud to be running this important event and would really appreciate your support. Jamie Mayer from Transition Highbury had the original idea, I've added to it and there's been lots of input from other London Transition Towns. Local artist, Alex Head, has come up with a beautiful event logo and the Southbank Centre are charging us a minimal amount.  Not only is it a chance to hear exceptionally competent speakers, but we in the audience will have a part to play in an interactive discussion for the final hour or so.

ROB HOPKINS will be speaking on how the Transition Movement can offer vital insight into the new government's vision of a 'Big Society' from the point of view of sustainability and environmental responsibility.

How do Transition Initiatives match the coalition’s drive for volunteers and decentralised power? How can we marry the grass-roots focus of Transition with the top-down approach of local and central government?
What would such a marriage look like? The event will also celebrate the two year anniversary of a similar conference at Conway Hall, where many of the London groups were first imagined.

Then, as today, POLLY HIGGINS, will be chairing the proceedings. She is author of Eradicating Ecocide: Laws and Governance to Prevent the Destruction of our Planet (http://www.thisisecocide.com/) and is a barrister and international environmental lawyer. She will have just returned from the UN climate negotiations and will present the case for using international law to facilitate mass mobilization and innovation for a post-peak oil society.

MICHAEL MEACHER MP, former Minister for the Environment under Tony Blair and a passionate environmentalist, will discuss the imperatives for an honest assessment of peak oil and its implications in government planning - something that so far only Bristol City Council has taken seriously.

ALEXIS ROWELL of Transition Belsize will be speaking about his new book ‘Communities, councils and carbon – what we can do if governments won’t’. Drawing from his successful campaigning as a Camden Councillor, Alexis will shed light on how Transition Initiatives can influence local government and help to bring about the extensive relocalisation which is so urgently needed.

We look forward to seeing you there,

Jo Homan and Jamie Mayer