Community Resilience

Battered by the storm, Cornwall was emblematic of our institutional systemic failure to confront a rapidly changing reality. In one of the richest countries in the world, entire communities lost power for weeks, and running water for days. Had the British government addressed climate change, and made contingency plans for these mega-storms, which will only become more frequent with time, the residents of Cornwall may not have faced such dangerous circumstances in the coldest month of the year. Yet, despite its great beauty, and the acute, localised housing crisis driven by the number of properties kept as second homes for wealthy Londoners, Cornwall is impoverished. This large county comprises of mostly rural communities who have been largely forgotten by a post-industrial economy which sees no value in that which cannot be scaled to maximise profit.

Cornwall enjoys an impressive network of self-organised resistance, from food co-ops and foraging workshops to marches and those willing to risk jail. It is interesting how varied and impressive this network is but seems to have very little to offer by way of suggestions for how to navigate the great eroding they are all living through. But is striking as it so often does in any discussions with locals how easy it is to veer into conversations about national or even international problems and potential actions to take. Probably the best path for all resistance is what has been called hyper-localised and intimate. Only when we know our neighbours and know what they need, what they seek, can we begin to generate the kind of common ground which becomes fertile soil for the common good. Only when we know our land and all the relationships that depend on it can we implement alternative systems which support one another and nurture life. These are the shelters which will see us through the storms. 

The deep tentacles of corruption spread over the political landscape, creating dark shadows on the surface of the Earth. We cannot combat like with like, not within a time of such huge inequality. Limiting our sphere of influence to our geography does not limit the kind of action we can take; these are the roots which hold the soils together, deepened by time and commitment. If every community in every place were to begin digging deep into themselves and one another to create the root system which will support them all through our dangerous future, this would change the very nature of our local and global problems. 

In an interconnected world, adaptation and resilience strategies must also be outward facing. This means recognising that risks are not evenly or justly distributed geographically, and accepting responsibility for helping the people and places that face the most acute threats. This imperative is all the stronger when looking at countries, including former British colonies such as Bangladesh, that are far poorer than the UK and for whom it is far harder to prepare and adapt.