Hamish Campbell argues that climate breakdown, inequality, technological disruption, war, political instability and weakening democratic institutions are reinforcing one another. He warns that responses centered on “exit culture” — including private security and bunkers for wealthy people, ethnonationalist politics, religious escape narratives, and technological promises involving AI, automation, space or digital transcendence — cannot resolve systemic ecological and social crises. Campbell also rejects the idea that institutional collapse is inherently progressive, saying it can produce mutual aid and democratic organization but is more likely to lead to authoritarianism, scapegoating, violence and stronger hierarchies when communities are unprepared. Campbell calls for grassroots democratic resilience built before crises intensify: local relationships, communication systems, knowledge of resources, practical skills, shared decision-making and methods for handling disagreement. He advocates shifting from individual survivalism toward mutual aid and collective care. He presents the Open Media Network (OMN), the Fediverse and ActivityPub as examples of federated technology that can let independent communities communicate, share knowledge and exchange resources without giving up autonomy. Campbell says technology should support social processes rather than replace them with centralized control, and argues that cooperation and solidarity can provide an alternative to fear-driven scapegoating and authoritarian politics.

From 2006 to 2025, France experienced an average of 15,000 hectares burned by fires each year. In 2023, a fire near Bordeaux burned nearly three times that area in just six days, while over 300,000 people were evacuated due to advancing fires near Madrid.