A recent article highlights the vital role forward-looking think tanks are playing in these times of economic turmoil. Though written for a European audience, it’s directly relevant to the situation anywhere on the globe.

The author cites Post Carbon Institute as one of the few think tanks "trying to push the envelope for a more radical rebooting of policymakers’ software… new groups are emerging to challenge neo-liberal thinking… such as the Post Carbon Institute, Re-Define, Economie & Générations, the Capital Institute, and the Council on Economic Policies."

I hope you’ll take a moment to consider how innovative voices like those in the Post Carbon Institute community can help shift us collectively toward a healthier future. As the article points out:
 
"New thinking does require new thinkers. Policymakers should pay more attention to private institutes that challenge the orthodoxy. Donors should generously support policy innovation. And think tanks should continue improving their ability to publicise their research."

 Two new PCI programs spotlight the predicaments and the possibilities of this new era:

• The Energy Reality Campaign will dramatically and emphatically document the folly of "extreme energy" and the necessity to transition to a lower energy future through reports like "Drill, Baby, Drill?" (ferreting out the true economic and environmental impact of unconventional fossil fuels in North America, just in time to inform the 2012 election debate), and "ENERGY: Overdevelopment and the Delusion of Endless Growth" (which starkly portrays the impact of energy mania).
• The Community Resilience Initiative will feature the thousands of resources that thousands of communities are using to build a brighter future via resilience.org (launching soon), and the Community Resilience Guides on local power, food, financing, and planning (Power from the People is just out).

In addition to publishing powerful videos, reports, and books, PCI continues to "improve our ability to publicise our research" and generate impact…in sometimes interesting and unexpected ways.

I believe a more resilient, sustainable, and equitable future is possible. I hope you share this belief…and you’ll join with Post Carbon Institute at this critical moment.