How Cuba beat Peak Oil
I just watched The power of Community - How Cuba Survived Peak Oil. It’s a documentary about how Cuba survived the ‘special period’ in the early 1990s.
When the Soviet Union collapsed Cuba lost its primary trading partner overnight. 80% of Cubas import and export markets were lost. Without oil, blackouts would commonly last up to 16 hours per day and food was scarce.
Cuba had peak oil artificially forced upon it and so can be used as a test case for the rest of the world. We can learn lessons from how Cuba transformed itself into a community focussed society based around organic argriculture and in the process drastically reduced its dependency on oil and its substitutes.
“This film tells of the hardships and struggles as well as the community and creativity of the Cuban people during this difficult time. Cubans share how they transitioned from a highly mechanized, industrial agricultural system to one using organic methods of farming and local, urban gardens. It is an unusual look into the Cuban culture during this economic crisis, which they call ‘The Special Period.’ “
If you’re concerned about peak oil and even if your not, this film is a must see. It provides a fascinating insight into what the world could be like in the future. It was produced by an organisation called The Community Solution, there is also a site for the DVD.
