It appears at the onset of 2021, that worldwide energy supplies are peaking in extraction rates, specifically oil. This would suggest that into the future, continued stagnation of economic activity will occur. The 1972 book Limits to Growth outlined the consequences to the global industrial civilization should business as usual be continued into this century (collapse). The purpose of this site is not to repeat the findings of the modelling, but rather present potential adaptations to this predicament, tailored to a local context in Townsville Queensland - Australia.

Currently, Townsville is acutely dependent on energy import to sustain the services and function of the city, notably

• Baseload electricity
• Petroleum

The energy decent future will likely result in the infrastructure that delivers this energy to weaken and even fail eventually. As costs increase to maintain the industrial infrastructure, the ability for the population to pay to maintain may decrease.

Whilst this may be decades into the future, preparation for this eventuality are prudent. There are limitations to what sources of energy can realistically be sourced locally, and they are outlined below in this article. This website will focus only on the possibilities as currently perceived.

These sources of energy are considered possible to sustain in the local environment, in a post growth post industrial context.

• Firewood
• Tinder
• Electricity (solar PV)
• Wind
• Sunlight

Firewood is perhaps the most accessible energy source in the local context. If resources are managed appropriately, it is entirely possible all the cooking needs of citizens in Townsville could be met through the use of firewood. Careful management of forestry resources is important to ensure over consumption does not occur.

Leucaena

These sources of energy are considered too difficult to sustain in a post growth, post industrial context.

• Liquid fuels
• Pressurised fuels
• Baseload electricity