Post Carbon Institute Uses Expert Network to Take on Climate, Energy and Community Challenges

Tonight the Post Carbon Institute (PCI), a California-based think tank addressing sustainability issues associated with climate change, peaking resources and community resiliency, kicks off a three-day gathering with its Fellows (of which I am one) in Berkeley.

The Institute was founded in 2003, largely around the issue of peaking oil and energy supplies. Author Richard Heinberg (The Party's Over, Peak Everything) was the group's first Senior Fellow. Heinberg has been now joined by 28 other Fellows, and this is their first gathering.

From an initial focus on peaking energy resources and their potential impacts, PCI now addresses multiple areas and issues including climate change, consumption/ waste, communities, economies, ecology, education, energy, food/ agriculture, government, health, social justice, population, water, transportation.

Eighteen of those who are coming to Berkeley (five will join in remotely) to address how our government, society, communities and different industry sectors can prepare better for the system-based or "wicked problems" that climate change, peaking energy supplies and global recession present.

Participants will include:

David Orr (author and professor Oberlin College)
Chris Martensen ("Crash Course" economist)
Josh Kaufmann (US Department of Energy's Pacific Northwest Labs)
Michael Bomford (food and energy scientist, Kentucky University)
Sandra Postel (author, director Global Water Policy Project)
Tom Whipple (energy expert, former CIA analyst)
Zenobia Barlow (author, director Center for Ecoliteracy)
Bill Sheehan (consumption and waste expert, Product and Policy Institute)
Gloria Flora (public lands expert, director Sustainable Obtainable Solutions)
Erika Allen (urban agriculture expert, manager Growing Power)
Anthony Perl (author, transportation expert and professor, Simon Frazier University)
Hillary Brown (partner, New Civic Works, founder NYC Office Sustainable Design)
Stephanie Mills (author, bio-regionalism expert)
Wes Jackson (author, founder/ president The Land Institute)
William Ryerson (director Population Media Center)
Brian Schwartz (public health expert, professor Johns Hopkins University)
Bill Rees (community resilience expert, author, University British Columbia)
David Hughes (energy expert, geoscientist for Canadian Geological Survey)
Warren Karlenzig (urban expert, author, president Common Current)

Other participants that will join in remotely include authors Michael Shuman, Josh Farley, Bill McKibben and Richard Douthwaite, Transition Town movement originator Rob Hopkins; Johns Hopkins' Cindy Parker.

Look for my report next week on the outcome of this historic gathering.

Originally published January 22, 2010 on the Green Flow blog of Common Currents

Reader Comments

1 comments

trans-disciplinary collaboration methods

From: Kirk Weigand, Jan 25, 2010 06:59 AM

I'll be interested in your team's use of collaborative methods for working across disciplines. The fields of interactive social design and organization development may be of interest to you in this non-trivial work on wicked problem systems! Best wishes, Kirk

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