I’m deeply concerned about existential risks, particularly those posed by climate change. To address this, I founded ClimateSafe Villages (CSV), a nonprofit focused on building community-level resilience to the increasing impacts of global warming. CSV advocates for resilient infrastructure, regenerative agriculture, and other adaptations to help communities thrive amidst worsening conditions. I believe that alongside crucial emissions reduction efforts, we need proactive preparation to mitigate potentially catastrophic long-term climate risks.
I am also Executive Director of Democracy Without Elections, a sortition advocacy organization.
Previously, I was executive director of Abundant Housing LA, a part of the YIMBY movement, and an attorney, which informs my approach to this work. I’m excited to connect with other EAs thinking deeply about these issues and ensuring that our efforts are grounded in evidence and reason. Feel free to reach out if you’d like to discuss climate resilience, longtermism, or anything else!
Hello, I’m Leonora Camner, a founder of a new climate change adaptation organization called ClimateSafe Villages (CSV). Given the deeply concerning warnings from experts that we are not on track to avoid catastrophic levels of global warming, CSV aims to help communities build local resilience to the severe climate impacts we are likely to face in the coming decades. These communities are resilient not just to climate change, but other catastrophic risks as well.
Our work focuses on:
Researching and modeling innovative, resilient building methods and materials
Developing community-scale systems for water capture, storage and preservation
Building regenerative food systems that are adaptable to extreme conditions
Convening advisors across climate science, engineering, agriculture and other key areas
Producing actionable guides to help people everywhere build climate resilience
By enabling communities to withstand extreme disasters, deadly heat, water scarcity, food shortages and other devastating climate impacts, I believe we can meaningfully reduce the overall level of risk humanity faces.
I’m very interested to connect with others working on climate and existential risks to explore potential collaborations and knowledge sharing. Please reach out or connect me with others!
Until the end of last year, I was the Executive Director of the YIMBY (“Yes in My Backyard”) nonprofit Abundant Housing LA, which I grew from a volunteer effort to a staff of 10. I’m always happy to chat with others about this experience and share any relevant lessons learned. If helpful, I can write a post about this experience and my recommendations. I’m also an advocate for sortition (democracy by lottery) and would love to connect with others interested in this area.
Thanks for reading, and I look forward to getting to know this community! You can learn more about CSV at ClimateSafeVillages.org.