Michael Shuman

With this manifesto, we are putting national governments everywhere on notice. We are not going away. We will become bolder in our local experiments and in our challenges to your authority.

Ever since 2020, a global organization called Local Futures has been organizing events in dozens of countries on June 21, when the planet’s northern hemisphere enters the summer solstice. There are films, webinars, and local events happening everywhere around the globe. And it’s a moment when all of us who feel isolated in our localist views can bond with thousands of colleagues worldwide.

A realistic action goal for a community trying to survive tariffs is this: How can we move our economy more quickly toward the 90% self-reliance that’s economic, practical, and already happening?

In the coming months, I worry that the list of Trump’s affronts to localists will grow significantly longer. Sure, there will also be opportunities for localists. And when they arise—crowdfunding reforms, for example—we will advocate for them. But right now, dear localists, we need hypervigilance and clarity of thinking. We still have 1,423 days to go.

How do we build strong local living economies for a post-carbon world? Tune into a stimulating conversation about how to move forward.

We need a different way forward, what we might call the Theory of Comparative Resilience.  My basic proposition is simple:  Those communities that are best able to withstand future crises—whether pandemics, climate disruptions, or financial meltdowns—will be the ones that thrive economically.