This is the year it’s predicted we’ll reach peak oil. Read this article if you don’t understand what that means, but essentially, we’ve got half the oil left and the remaining oil is now harder and more expensive to get out of the ground.

From the article, Mr Kern, from Oilprice.com, apparently “the no.1 source for oil and energy news” — explained:

“Peak oil is the point in time when worldwide petroleum production reaches its maximum point and begins to decline. It occurs when reserves of easily accessible oil are depleted, and it becomes increasingly difficult and expensive to extract remaining reserves.”

Don’t like or agree with this article, no problem, do a news search for peak oil and see what’s coming up, because it is coming up, or it’s already behind us – depending on what you believe. This is about geological constraints, and that is not something us humans have any control over.

Peak oil will come and with it, economic calamity, because oil is at the centre of our global economic system. We haven’t prepared for that not to be the case, so when it hits, it’s going to hit hard!

Anyhoo, regardless if we’ve hit peak oil or not, we know we need to change and fast, and keeping fossil fuels in the ground is a massive part of what’s required. So please, let’s understand what this change requires of us, and start building the world we need to build, with or without our governments and business leaders on board.

Please read: The Greenland Ice Sheet is close to a melting point of no return

Please read: America’s Fossil Fuel Economy is Heading for Collapse – It Signals the End of the Oil Age

Getting focused on adaptation (which is not happening at any scale!) and really understanding the radical changes required, plus getting started, is the biggest action I can see that we have any control over. Rising up, speaking up and protesting is essential too – we need to make the world’s leaders understand that enough is enough. Far too many streets around the world are too quiet my friends.

However, if we keep waiting for the politicians and business leaders to lead this charge, well we might end up like Cuba did. Caught on the hop, and that didn’t look too pleasant.

How did Cuba get caught up? I encourage you to watch this video, which at the time, was due to sanctions, not environment, but the outcome is the same – life without fossil fuels requires a dramatic shift in how we live, grow food, travel and more.  

With a community focus and government support, they:

• Got people on bicycles and created a bike culture – because they had no fuel for cars or any other vehicles
• Started with food rationing (because it was so immediate) and then built a survival agriculture system – all land was dedicated to food, and an urban agriculture movement was launched. This also meant they cleaned up the waste in their communities
• Focussed on soil health, which takes years to improve (which is why we need to be doing it now), and they worked with nature, not against it
• The economy was built with a local focus and because of that, community came back
• Medical services were free, with doctors/nurses living within local communities, so they were part of local societies
• Created a mass transit system to get people around, and renewable energy projects were launched everywhere
• Created common spaces – aka what I interpret as the 15-minute city
• Rediscovered the joy of a simpler life

There’s a lot more to it, but have a watch, and then, wherever you are, bring your family and community together, and let’s start planting food everywhere. We must push for or create the systems we need to survive in a fossil free future. This is not something we want to face unprepared.

Hot tip, when you find useless grass in your city, sneak in at night and start planting food. If enough of us do it, they won’t be able to stop us! Manicured gardens need to be a thing of the past #NoMowMay is coming up, let’s do it all year round.

What we do today could ensure we don’t face the urgency the Cuban’s faced when sanctions hit – those first few years sounded brutal. So let’s not be side-swiped by this. We don’t need to be. The knowledge of what we need to do is all around us, it’s time to move.

Equally, if you do it as a community, you’ll achieve more. Plant gardens, grow trees, learn the skills needed for the future, install solar/wind, focus on fresh water supply, know your risks, learn how to deal with floods/fires/more, etc…

The path ahead is community-driven, cooperative and it requires meaningful action. Are you already on board? Let me know?

Finally, if you’re looking for inspiration, this is the first video I’ve watched from this: The Top 100 Documentaries We Can Use to Change the World. I’m planning to watch them all and will share my thoughts on anything that really resonates. I am always looking for hope and content focused on preparation, so happy to receive your recommendations.

Cheers

Andrea

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Environment education

Four environment resources to help you navigate this challenging territory.

1. Knowledge, constantly updating
2. Individual action and awareness, so we do our part
3. Resources for those struggling with eco-anxiety. Please share with your community.
4. Finally, more than 100 mini-videos on many topics regarding the multiple crisis’ we face. Feel free to download and use as your own. No credit necessary.

Uncommon Courage: an invitation

Uncommon Courage is an invitation to be your courageous best self every day. It’s also an antidote to the overwhelm, fear, and rage rolling around the world. But it’s more than a book; it’s an invitation to join an inclusive community that wants to better understand humanities challenges – both global and personal – in order to take courageous action and create a better world for everyone. If Covid19 has given us the time and space to reflect, Uncommon Courage gives us the nudge we need to create lasting change.

You can buy it on Amazon, Apple Books, Barnes & Noble, Book Depository, Booktopia, Smashwords, Kobo, Gardners, Odilo, Indie Bound, BookShop by BookTrib and Scribd.

Better yet, order it from your local bookstore, so you can #SupportLocal.

You can read the reviews, including a new five-star review on Book Commentary, another five-star review on ReaderViews, a review on BookTrib, and three more on Booklife, another on Book Commentary and Blue Ink Reviews. I’m also collating reviews on my Website too. Have a look and grateful to everyone who has written or recorded one.

Come and join the conversation in my Facebook Group Uncommon Courage.

Listen in to the Uncommon Courage, the podcast on Apple, Spotify and everywhere podcasts are published.

The Know Show

Check out The Know Show. It’s a fortnightly wrap up of the news!

Climate Courage

A fortnightly conversation on issues that matter to you and I, focusing on the actions we can all take.

18 Steps to an All-Star LinkedIn Profile 

Listed by Book Authority in the 100 Best LinkedIn Books of All Time and 22 Best New LinkedIn eBooks To Read In 2021 and 2022 categories. Grab it today if you want to take your professional presence to the next level! When it comes to LinkedIn, it really is time to ask — can you really afford not to have this book in the hands of every employee?

Are you a Social CEO? The Social CEO: How Social Media Can Make You A Stronger Leader. 

Want to claim your stage? Unleash Your Voice – Powerful Public Speaking for Every Woman 

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