Transition Movement

The term transition movement refers to affiliated groups of citizens and organizations that are in the process of creating so-called transition towns or transition initiatives worldwide, especially in the United Kingdom and the United States. The term transition in this case refers to the move from the current economic system to a “post-carbon” society. This is because transition organizers are motivated by two principal concerns: global peak oil and climate change. Global peak oil is the idea that global oil reserves have reached their peak and that—while global demand for oil is on a steady increase—cheap, readily available sources of petroleum will henceforth be on the wane. Peak oil will have ramifications for nearly all sectors of industrial society, impacting not only transportation but also food systems, the production and distribution of goods (especially plastics), and the organization of towns and cities.

The second concern, climate change, refers to the probability of significant climate disruptions caused by increased greenhouse gases in the atmosphere, which will most likely significantly alter weather and climate patterns worldwide in the 21st century. These shifts may cause—or may already be causing—extreme weather events, rising sea levels, and even the mass migration of animal and human species seeking to adapt. A third concern for transition organizers is the threat of economic collapse or crisis, such as the global economic meltdown that began in 2008.