Thursday 26th and Friday 27th May, Parade Tower, Kilkenny

This conference will focus on how local economies can become resilient in the face of peak oil, climate change and global economic uncertainty. The conference will bring together experienced campaigners, educators and economists from France, the US, Australia, the UK and Ireland.

The conference is divided into three themes:

“The Big PIcture” will take a look at the challenges that Ireland will face as the world reaches the limits in production of many non-renewable resources and asks what impacts the last few decades of globalisation has had on local communities.

“Building Local Resilience” will highlight the desperate need for communities to become more self reliant and that taking on the challenge could make for a better, fairer world.

“The Way Forward” closes the conference with a look at some communities from around the world that are “re-localising” in the face of economic and energy uncertainty and making the transition to a more sustainable future.

Throughout the two days there will be workshops and world cafe discussions interspersed between the presentations. These more informal sessions will go into the subjects in more detail and allow ample opportunity for participants to bring their own experience and perspective to the conference. It is hoped to use the ideas which emerge to help counties like Kilkenny adapt to a changing world.

For speaker profiles, more information and to register visit the official conference website here.