Election fallout and Peak Oil in the media

After the election results came in I took some time to reflect on what is really important, and what path I should follow.  It’s natural to feel disappointment when the outcome is different to what you expect and hope for, but I also feel extremely grateful.

To the people in the Town Ward who voted for me I want to thank you for your support.  There are more than 300 people in Town who believe that the environment should have representation on the council, who care about the effects that Peak Oil will have on our economy and who want to take action to reverse the effects of Climate Change.

I also want to thank the countless people who expressed to me that they would have voted for me if they could have, and instead supported other candidates from Team Opotiki because they had welcomed an environmentalist to work with them.

Environmentalists may be in the minority but we are not alone.  We are more than 300 strong in Town, and many more live in the rural wards.  We are educated about the issues, and we understand the consequences of inaction.  We also understand the urgency.

Around New Zealand the local body elections have vaulted people into power who campaigned on green issues - such as electrification of rail, public transport, cycling and sustainability.  Across the country people voted with their conscience, and the tide is slowly moving away from business as usual and towards environmental solutions.

Environmentalists may be outnumbered in Opotiki, but that simply means we have more work to do.  This is no time to just throw up our hands and move to higher ground.  Transition Towns exist because instead of merely building their own lifeboats, the people who first learn and understand about Peak Oil and Climate Change send out a life-line to protect their entire communities.

Transition Towns are about education, raising awareness and working together.  Just last week it was reported that “decades of economic turmoil and recessions face the world as oil supplies run low and energy prices surge.”

New Zealand Parliamentary Library economics and industry research analyst Clint Smith recently published a  paper called ‘The Next Oil Shock’, with evidence that the New Zealand economy – along with the rest of the world - will be exposed to “supply crunches and price spikes”, which are expected as soon as 2012.
Whether or not our council heeds the warning, or chooses to disregard it for whatever reason, each of us who do understand the implications are still responsible for doing what we can to create resilience for the community we live in.

If you voted for me, please join ‘Transition Town Opotiki Coast’ on Facebook.  I know that not everyone has the internet, but it is a powerful tool for networking and gathering momentum, and is available at our public library.