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PROfIlE
pReppINg THe mASSeS
naMe: MEGAN QuINN
aGe: 24
lOCaTIOn: YEllOW SPRINGS, OHIO
OCCUpaTIOn: OuTREAcH DIREcTOR Of THE cOMMuNITY SOluTION
IT’S cAlled peAk OIl, the theory that when humanity exhausts the earth of half of its oil supply, production will peak, then irreversibly decline, the result of which won’t be pretty. Luckily for the world there’s The Community Solution, a non-profit organization dedicated to educating the masses about oil depletion, its crippling effects, and how to ease the transition from stretch Hummer to cozy rickshaw.
Is there any way to prevent the Peak Oil crisis?
The debate is no longer “if” oil will peak, but when, and how quickly production will decline. The faster the decline, the bigger the crisis. If we continue to burn oil as if there’s no tomorrow, then the American and world economies will crash much harder—and faster—after we start sliding down the peak.
What are the best and worst-case scenarios of the Peak Oil aftermath?
After the peak, oil will become increasingly scarce and expensive. There will be no immediate substitutes for oil to maintain economic growth in our debt-based, centralized economies. We will face oil shortages far worse than in the 1970s, resulting in worldwide economic collapse and perhaps nuclear confrontation over access to dwindling oil supplies.
In the best-case scenario, nations across the planet agree to reduce their oil consumption to avoid conflict, drastically curtail other energy use, decentralize their economies, promote local food production for local consumption, and install locally controlled renewable energy systems.
You’re the Outreach Director for The Community Solution. What is the main goal you hope to achieve over the next 5-10 years?
First, we aim to educate people about the impending peak, what it means for their lives, and what they can do about it. We provide information and tools to help individuals cut their energy use, live more locally, and spread Peak Oil awareness in their communities. We hope that Peak Oil and climate change are widely recognized as two aspects of the same problem of over-consumption and that local and global efforts are made to prevent the worst.
What can we do to help prepare for Peak Oil?
First, we need to recognize that we will not live the materially abundant, over-consumptive, energy-wasteful lives that our Baby Boomer-era parents did. Second, we should re-examine our planned occupations, future goals, and consumptive habits in light of imminent oil scarcity and the long-term depletion of oil and other natural resources. Third, we have the responsibility to help our friends, family, and community during this tremendous transition.
Your website references a new documentary called “The Power of Community: How Cuba Survived Peak Oil.” What can the US learn from how Cuba dealt, and is still dealing, with its own Peak Oil situation?
When the Soviet Union—Cuba’s oil lifeline—collapsed in the early 1990s, Cuba lost half of its oil overnight. Transportation halted, people went hungry, and the average Cuban lost 20 pounds. In response, Cubans developed organic agriculture, urban gardens, small-scale renewable energy, and energy-saving mass transit while maintaining free health care and education systems. Cuba provides a model for how people can come together in a community to survive while using much less energy and preserving vital infrastructure.
InTerVIeW bY COTe SMITH
WWW.INTMAG.ORG
Megan Quinn Bachman 