The Four Assumptions and Six Principles of Transition.

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The Transition Movement
based on the ideas of Rob Hopkins
- Four Assumptions & Six Principles of Transition -

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“...the peaking of world oil production presents the US and the world with an
unprecedented risk management problem. As peaking is approached, liquid fuel
prices and price volatility will increase dramatically, and without timely mitigation,
the economic, social and political costs will be unprecedented. Viable mitigation
options exist on both the supply and demand sides, but to have substantial
impact, they must be initiated more than a decade in advance of peaking.
” The Hirsch Report
2005
The Transition movement is based on the assumption that we are
approaching the end of the age of cheap oil, and that climate change
& peak oil are twin challenges that must be addressed simultaneously.

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Can you imagine Brixton beyond Oil?
Climate Change is happening. Peak Oil is imminent.
Our world is changing. Will we design that change
or suffer the consequences of our inability to act?
RISING TO THE CHALLENGE
Transition Town Brixton is a community-led initiative,
to engage all sectors of the community in designing our
local pathway from oil dependency to a better low energy,
low carbon future. Our aims are:
STORY SO FAR
ONWARDS
We will continue raising awareness, visioning and research-
ing future possibilities. We plan to actively involve more
groups to vision and plan towards creating the Brixton
courses for a more localised, low energy lifestyle. We will
To see what is happening elsewhere visit:
www.transitiontowns.org
www.transitionculture.org
T: 07958 635181
E: info@transitiontownbrixton.org
www.transitiontownbrixton.org
PROGRAMME OF EVENTS
TRANSITION TOWN
BRIXTON
Rethink, Reconnect & Relocalise.
PEAK OIL & CLIMATE CHANGE:
Climate change is happening already & will continue. We
must cut emissions drastically to avoid tipping into runaway
warming and climate instability. We need a zero-carbon
future. The solution to these twin challenges is the same...
... re-localization & energy descent.
Transition Town Brixton is hosting an exploration into how money
and our globalised economy works (or doesn’t) and how localisa-
tion could work. Key speakers in the morning, with discussion and
hands-on exercises, some local trading at lunchtime, Open Space
workshops in the afternoon to explore how we can build a more
resilient localised economy with production, distribution, local cur-
rencies and trading systems. Why is local important? And what’s in
it for locals? How can we make it work here? - Join the TTB Busi-
ness & Economy group: info@transitiontownbrixton.org
TTB acknowledges the support of Lambeth Council & nef (The New Economics Foundation)
TTB is working with locals at the Guiness
Trust Estaste to encourage food growing &
map potential growing spaces in Brixton. It
is a focus for Permaculture education. This is
a ‘growth area’. Contact TTB to get involved.
Abundance
An Urban Agriculture Project
TTB in partnership with UCL & Urbanbuzz
WWW.TRANSITIONTOWNBRIXTON.ORG
info@transitiontownbrixton.org
THE TRANSITION HANDBOOK
From oil dependency to local resilience
by Rob Hopkins
available from us or from Brixton Whole Foods
Transition Town Initiatives
1. Totnes, England
2. Penwith, England
3. Kinsale, Ireland
4. Ivybridge, England
5. Falmouth, England
6. Moretonhampstead, England
7. Lewes, England
8. Stroud, England
9. Ashburton, England
10. Ottery St. Mary, England
11. Bristol, England
12. Brixton, England ***
13. Forest Row, England
14. Mayfield, England
15. Glastonbury, England
16. Lostwithiel, England
17. Forest of Dean, England
18. Nottingham, England
19. Wrington, England
20. Brighton&Hove, England
21. Portobello, Scotland
22. Market Harborough, England
23. Sunshine Coast, Australia
24. West Kirby, England
25. Llandeilo, Wales
26. Bro Ddyfi, Wales
27. Whitstable, England
28. Marsden & Slaithwaite, England
29. Frome, England
30. Brampton, England
31. Isle of Wight, England
32. Waiheke Island, New Zealand
33. Orewa, New Zealand
34. Dunbar, Scotland
35. Rhayader, Wales
36. Seaton, England
37. Bath, England
38. Exeter, England
39. Isle of Man
40. Canterbury, England
41. Kapiti District, New Zealand
42. Carbon Neutral Biggar
43. Presteigne
44. Wolverton
45. Leicester
46. Holywood
47. Westcliff-on-Sea
48. Isles of Scilly
49. Liverpool South
50. Norwich
51. Tring
52. Crediton
53. Boulder, CO, USA
54. North Howe
55. Lampeter
56. South Petherton
57. Armidale, NSW
58. Chichester
59. Bell, VIC
60. Bellingen, NSW
61. Berkhamsted
62. Forres
63. Sandpoint, ID, USA
64. Opotiki Coast, New Zealand
65. Newcastle, NSW
66. Chepstow
67. Coventry
68. Bungay
69. Nelson
70. Hervey Bay, QLD
71. Mersea Island
72. Maidenhead
73. Ladock & Grampound Road
74. Leek
75. Horsham
.... over 100 as of Nov.2008

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1. Energy Descent
Peak oil & climate change:
UseofFossilFuels
0 500 1000 1500 2000 2500 2100
WE ARE HERE

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Measuring our personal
carbon footprint is one
of the first things we do.

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2. Resilience to
Energy Shocks
‘Climate change says we should change, whereas
peak oil says we will be forced to change’.

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3. Collective Action
The Transition approach attempts to engage entire communities
in the process of change. New methods such as citizens juries
or panels, round tables, visioning, charettes and new ‘consensus
conferences’ have become necessary, and they arise from the
realisation that environmental values are not preformed, but
rather that they emerge out of debate.

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4. Genius of Groups
before
start
awareness
raising
working
groups
formed
The Great
Unleashing
Local
Energy
Descent
Plan
Town Council

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10. Despite the big changes ahead, the Transition
Movement holds that the move towards
localized energy efficient living could make
a world that is better than our own.
www.eco-labs.org
6 Principles of Transition
1. Visioning
2. Inclusion
3. Awareness Raising
4. Resilience
5. Psychological Insights
6. Appropriate Scaled Solutions

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1. Visioning
Central to the Transition approach is the idea we can only pro-actively move towards
something if we can imagine it. The movement works with visioning scenarios
(adaptation / evolution / collapse) to come to terms with factors driving change.
Rapid Depletion Slow Depletion
Techno-fix
Burn-outCollapse
Lean
Econom
y
Reactive
Response
Proactive
Response

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6
5
4
3
2
1
0
-1
EnergyandResourceUse-EcologicalFootprint(measuredinnumberofEarthsrequiredtosustainsystem)
Historical Past Now Possible Futures
1900 1950 2000 2050 2100
pre-industrial
sustainable culture
sustainable One Planet LivingTM
industrialascent
energyandresourceclimax-NOW
Techno-Fantasy
Green-Tech stability
Creative Descent
Earth Stewardship
Collapse

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2. Inclusion
The Transition movement seeks to facilitate dialogue between different groups,
We attempt to reach out beyond our comfort zones to engage more people in
our communities in dialogue and action.

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3. Awareness Raising
We are constantly exposed to &
bewildered by mixed messages.
The transition approach aims to set out its case
clearly by giving people the key arguments.
Rob Hopkins
Founder of the Transition movement
THE TRANSITION
HANDBOOK
From oil dependency to local resilience
If your town is not yet a Transition Town, here is the guidance for making it one.
We have little time, and much to accomplish.” – Richard Heinberg, author of PeakEverything
TRANSITION
HBOOK BLAD
3/1/08
16:31
Page
1

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Only through engaging
with the information
does starting work
towards solutions
becomes possible.

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4. Resilience
Resilience refers to the ability of a system to hold together
and maintain its ability to function in the face of change
and shocks from the outside.

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What will our communities look like with a
dramatic reduction in fossil fuel consumption?

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5. Psychological
Insights
‘healthy functioning requires that we have faith in
the future, without this confidence; our trust in the
world is damaged. Damaged trust can lead to many
neurotic reactions, narcissism, depression, paranoia,
and compulsion’.
‘post-petroleumstress disorder’

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6.
Credible &
Appropriate
Scale
Solutions
Action
Energy
Descent
Plan

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0
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
BillionofBBLS/YR
Years
1900 1925 1950 1975 2000 2025 2050 2075 2100

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www.transitionculture.org
www.transitiontowns.org
graphic design by EcoLabs
www.eco-labs.org
Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial
2.0 UK: England & Wales License
Thanks to Amelia Gregory for the photographs of Transition Town Brixton
Leona Clark for the illustration of London & Lucy Neal for the cake.
‘scalable microcosms of hope’