As the climate crisis unfolds, we are also facing an epidemic of loneliness. While most climate resilience public investment has been in physical infrastructure, research and experience tell us that it is people and relationships that matter when a crisis hits. Strong webs of trusting relationships, community control of local infrastructure, and spaces for communities to practice governance roles are essential ingredients for successful climate outcomes. That is why, increasingly, climate adaptation funding sources historically reserved for physical projects are opening up for investments in social resilience. But how do we know where these investments are most needed and what kinds of interventions can have the most impact?

This Forum will explore the connection between social capital and disaster response and recovery outcomes, how communities are putting social resilience at the forefront of their climate adaptation efforts, and specific strategies for building social resilience in priority communities.

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Forum Recording

Forum Speakers

Dr. Daniel Aldrich
Professor, Political Science and Public Policy
Director of the Resilience Studies Program
Co-Director of the Global Resilience Institute
Northeastern University

Dr. Julianne Holt-Lunstad
Professor of Psychology and Neuroscience
Brigham Young University

Lydia Lowe
Executive Director
Chinatown Community Land Trust

Troy Philips
Enrolled member and Sub-Chief of the Hassanamisco Nipmuc Tribe
Chairperson and Commissioner of the Massachusetts Commission on Indian Affairs

Peyton Siler Jones 
Founder and Principal
Siler Climate Consulting

Montanna Cassel
Sustainability Planner & Grant Coordinator
Town of Cohasset

Forum Co-Chairs

Nasser Brahim
Senior Climate Resiliency Specialist
Woods Hole Group

Alex Papali
Director of Regional Economies
Center for Economic Democracy