Humanity is faced with two challenges in the coming decades which will be unlike anything we have faced collectively before. The twin challenges of Peak Oil, whereby energy and resources will become increasingly scarce, and Climate Change whereby an increasing hotter world will be more and more inhospitable to life, will have a dramatic impact on our everyday life and utterly change our civilisation.
How we will collectively manage depends largely how on will we prepare now for these changes and how quickly we can adapt to the forthcoming problems. The longer we remain in collective denial, the more difficult it will be for us to prepare.
John Sharry has been writing on the psychological factors that have shaped our responses to these problems thus far and is interested in supporting collective positive adaptation and resilience.
He has presented to the New Emergency Conference in 2009 organised by Feasta (the Foundation for Sustainable Economics), and has contributed a chapter to the recently launched book Fleeing Vesuvius: Overcoming the Risks of Economic and Environmental Collapse which searches for solutions to these challenges. You can read it at www.feasta.org .
John has also written a series of articles on Hope and Community Adaptation in the Irish Times see articles below
Part 1 - 'Though the situation is grim, it is not hopeless'
Part 2 - 'Finding a silver lining amid the darkening clouds'
Part 3 - 'Revival of community is the key to our survival'