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| <back | home North Bay Energy Vulnerability Summit by Steve Wohlrab (EVS Planning Committee) An unprecedented regional “Energy Vulnerability Summit” organized exclusively for local elected and appointed officials from San Francisco’s North Bay was held on May 19th at the Community Center in Petaluma, CA. The event featured keynote presentations by distinguished authors Richard Heinberg (“The Party’s Over” and “Power Down”) and Julian Darley (“High Noon for Natural Gas”) North Bay leaders came together to discuss the potential impact, challenges and opportunities of rising energy costs on their local municipalities. Attendees included local city and county officials and representatives from Sonoma, Napa, Mendocino and Marin Counties. A major emphasis of the Summit was Peak Oil and Peak Natural Gas. Backed by a substantive body of evidence, each of the keynote speakers highlighted the ominous and rapidly approaching global situation. Heinberg and Darley point to fast approaching global production peaks for these resources at a time when world energy demands are increasing. They believe that, if unmitigated, this situation will culminate in dramatic shortages that will have a profound socio-economic impact around the globe. Among the more distressing pieces of information presented were conclusions reached by the 2005 Hirsch Report, commissioned by the U.S. Department of Energy. Among the report’s many findings is a recommendation that mitigation efforts need to be implemented at least ten years ahead of “peak.” Although the exact moment of global peak oil production is unknown and can only be verified in retrospect, there is a growing consensus among energy experts that this moment is close at hand (if it has not occurred already). Another equally troubling topic covered during the event was the prohibitive costs and limited scalability of current alternatives. The program included a realistic examination of the best available solutions. Darley’s presentation, which dovetailed nicely with Heinberg’s, also included an overview of current government efforts already taking place. After unpacking the peak natural gas arguments, Darley went on to provide examples of progress being made by other counties and cities around the world, including recent Burnaby (Canada), San Francisco and Portland Peak Oil Resolutions. Other notable examples included Willits and Sebastopol, California, as well as efforts by countries such as Sweden and cities such as Kinsale, Ireland. Heinberg and Darley noted that an unparalleled collective effort will be required in order to transition from fossil fuels and bring about the necessary lifestyle changes required to reduce demand. Both speakers acknowledged the need for increased conservation measures as well as the need for ongoing government support for local businesses. Evidenced by their comments, local officials seemed to understand the crucial role their leadership would play in helping midwife the transition but expressed some concern about their ongoing ability to provide essential services. Along with elected and appointed officials from cities in and counties of Marin, Sonoma, Napa and Mendocino, also in attendance were the event sponsors (see list below), as well as academics from UC Davis, and key Peak Oil organizers from WEL (Willits Economic Localization). Other attendees included community representatives from as far away as Portland, Oregon and Atlanta, Georgia as well as a former oil well performance and reserve estimate specialist from BP. Efforts to connect Global Warming and Peak Oil mitigation initiatives were evidenced by support from Ann Hancock (Sonoma County Climate Protection Campaign), whose relentless efforts have resulted in Sonoma County’s commitment to GHG’s (Green House Gases) reductions. Both presenters acknowledge the need for dramatic reductions in GHG’s and strongly emphasized that energy solutions not contribute to this serious problem. This conference was sponsored by the Leadership Institute for Ecology and the Economy (Santa Rosa, CA - www.ecoleader.org) and driven by a core group of volunteers who worked together for months in order to bring the event to fruition. Other Summit Sponsors included Leadership Institute for Ecology and the Economy, PG&E, Sonoma Mountain Village, Bay Area Air Quality Management District, Post Carbon Institute, local philanthropist Jonathan Frieman, Sonoma County Climate Protection Campaign, Community Fuels, Cooperative Community Energy, Whole Foods, and Deaf Dog Coffee. The EVS Planning Committee intends to following up with conference attendees, gather feedback and determine how best to coordinate future efforts. The committee is looking at ways to improve and build upon the momentum initiated by the Summit. The EVS team remains interested in helping provide leaders with additional resources on best practices as well as in promoting and implementing sustainable policies. The committee is also exploring the possibility of organizing future conferences. Steve Wohlrab can be reached at stevewohlrab@hotmail.com. See his article here. <back | top^ |