Pandemic Response and Mutual Aid as Climate Resilience: Learning From Community Responses in the Boston Area

Abstract

Abstract Community responses to the impacts of COVID-19 in working-class communities of color in the Boston area are examples of resilience in action. Building climate resilience is not just about hardening physical infrastructure but also about strengthening social and civic infrastructure to reach and protect the most vulnerable. This article explores the lessons learned from the pandemic for more equitable approaches to climate resilience. We find that community-based organizations and networks are building social capital through mutual aid networks rooted in solidarity, care, and reciprocity and forging new collaborations with government, funders, and service providers. These social capacities have saved lives and can also help transform the systems that produce vulnerabilities and inequities in the first place. Our overarching conclusion is that resilience is rooted in our abilities to work together, mobilize resources, and take care of one another.