Since the publication of my book Adapt. Tomorrow: resilient cities, last September, I had the opportunity to host conferences in various cities and regions of Quebec as well as in France. My interventions focus on urban resilience, exploring how innovation in governance can enable municipalities to better respond to the challenges posed by the climate crisis.
At the heart of my remarks, I address the fundamental question of the capacity of communities to take charge of themselves and to rely on collective intelligence to implement new ways of doing things to achieve different results. Because it is obvious that we must constantly repeat: we will not achieve different results if we repeat the same gestures and habits.
To make my speech tangible, I illustrate my words with concrete examples. This allows participants to project themselves in order to understand how to put these ideas into practice in their daily lives. After all, theories remain abstract until they resonate with our own experience. This is what I call giving meaning to theory, by embodying it in people’s reality.
On May 2, I participated in Energy Transition Week in Lac-Mégantic. This visit, my first to this city marked by the railway tragedy of July 6, 2013, touched me deeply. The derailment of a train carrying 72 crude oil tank cars not only disrupted the life of this community, it also reshaped its future.
On this occasion, I gave a conference, led a reflection workshop and a discussion group. Despite intense preparation, I remained humble and even somewhat anxious about how to approach resilience with those who were its paragons. The Méganticois have transformed their affliction into remarkable strength.
My visit to them acted as a revelation on the strength of collective intelligence, a central theme in my book. The concrete reality of this community — which united determination, talent and solidarity to rebuild itself and continue to move forward in the face of adversity — allowed me to discover the full power of this power. It is in moments of sincere and collective mobilization like the tragedy of Lac-Mégantic that we can fully grasp the scope of collective intelligence.
In front of these people who have gone through the unthinkable, I went through the pages of my presentation to make my speech more relevant, more concrete. I was in front of humble individuals, who are committed to sharing and continuing to improve their daily lives while carrying the indelible memory of July 6, 2013.
Since the tragic event, the community of Lac-Mégantic has sought to refocus on the same common thread. For it, it is a question of rebuilding with an eye towards the future and towards future generations, while avoiding forgetting and repeating the mistakes of the past. Today, she envisions the development of a city ready to face the climate crisis, armed with an unwavering determination to better resist future environmental disasters.
As I walked through the city the day before the conference, I realized that these citizens, who had endured the unimaginable, perhaps had nothing to learn from me. On the contrary, these extraordinary people, all driven by a strong desire to improve, already know very well the importance of fighting against the indomitable forces of nature by constantly working to minimize our vulnerabilities.
They quickly grasped the essential principle that I mentioned earlier. They know in their body, in their heart and in their soul that to get different results, you have to act differently. This is why they are constantly looking for innovation. Whether small or large, these gestures, they were proud to unveil during the event, with, among other things, the establishment of the first solar electric microgrid in Quebec, a project developed locally thanks to their collective intelligence.
From this visit to Lac-Mégantic, I learned a vital lesson that reinforces my convictions: resilience and innovation are above all the fruits of a human effort that puts nature at the center of its concerns. The residents of Lac-Mégantic, by placing the collective good ahead of their individual needs, perfectly illustrate the principle that, without unwavering solidarity in the face of adversity, our communities will not be able to overcome the challenges posed by the climate crisis.
The strength and resilience of the people of Mégantic probably existed before the derailment of the infernal train. However, the people revealed their true nature when they faced a crisis of unimaginable magnitude. Faced with adversity, humans surpass their limits and innovate. This community overcame one of the most devastating tragedies in modern Quebec and has since grown in an inspiring way.
We could believe that humans only know how to find this creative force and surpass themselves when they are on the edge of the precipice or faced with obstacles that seem insurmountable. Today, as the climate crisis presents itself as humanity’s ultimate survival challenge, it is this resilience that should serve as a model for us to implement nature-based solutions.
To adapt to the climate crisis, we will need the strength and resilience of communities like Lac-Mégantic around the world. Méganticoises and Méganticois, your courage and your spirit are a source of inspiration. Thank you for showing us the way!