What is an Energy Descent Action Plan?

An Energy Descent Action Plan or Pathway (EDAP) – is a local plan for preparing for a future where fossil fuel energy will be much more scarce. Its a plan that tries to respond to two crises currently facing us. First, climate change means that we have to use less energy. Second, the limited nature of fossil fuels means that there’ll be much less of it actually available. Since we are currently extremely dependent on cheap, easily accessible oil, this means that we need to develop a plan to redesign our cities and towns so that the pathway towards less energy can be managed.

Developing a local action plan that takes climate change and peak oil into account is one of the key long terms aims of Transition groups. Ideally, an EDAP will provide a detailed action plan for a variety of key areas including local food, local energy, transport, sustainable livelihoods and health and well-being. Technical details are important, including measures of current consumption, waste production, and perhaps a map of where our food, building supplies, consumer products etc are coming from. Developing a clear idea of what kinds of projects need to be developed and by what time is another aspect. For example, if Liverpool is to feed itself sustainably, it might need 87,000 local farmers. Once a clear number is developed we can work backwards to see what needs to be put in place now so that this is possible in the future. It’s not all technical though. EDAPs are also creative documents such as personal stories, ‘future news’, and thought provoking artwork. All up an EDAP is a locally developed document that is specific and creative, which sets out a hopeful and positive vision of the future that can enable a city to face current challenges and start responding to them.

Creating a community designed planned allows us to stake out our own future, rather than leaving this up to national government, local councils, or development agencies. Given that none of the current development plans for Liverpool are taking climate change and the limits to fossil fuels into account, it might be up to us to develop our own plan. Later in the year Transition Liverpool will host a symposium designed to help start developing an EDAP. Part of our preparation includes smaller idea generating events. This first of these will be a presentation at this Wednesday’s Sustainability Group meeting from University of Liverpool students, who have developed EDAPs for a variety of cities as part of a course taught by Pete North and have graciously agreed to talk about how they created them. Anyone interested is very welcome to attend! Details here.

If you are interested in learning more about EDAPs there is an early primer on EDAPs written before the Transition movement started. There are also a number of examples online including Kinsale, Totnes, the Sunshine Coast in Australia, and Forest Row.