I’ve been reflecting on Alex Steffen’s thoughtful recent piece on whether community can address the growing brittleness of our climate reality:
His argument is clear: community is essential, but as a layer within a broader system, not a replacement for the large-scale infrastructure and institutions we ultimately depend on.
Steffen is critical of how “community resilience” is often used: suggesting that strong local networks and initiatives could compensate for failing infrastructure, weak institutions, or absent governance. They cannot. And expecting them to puts the burden in exactly the wrong place.
At the same time, he emphasizes that community becomes more important as the climate crisis worsens, not just as a source of care and belonging, but as the space where people make sense of what is happening and decide how to respond.… Read more...
