The Deep Adaptation Forum (DAF) offers free events and online platforms for people who are seeking and building supportive communities to face the reality of the climate crisis.

The mission of DAF is “to embody and enable loving responses to our predicament”. The predicament refers to societal collapse, resulting mainly from the climate emergency and other global crises such as biodiversity loss and soil degradation.

On this website, the terms “societal collapse” or “breakdown” refer to the ending of modern ways of sustaining human life. This includes food, shelter, safety, pleasure, identity, and meaning, as well as institutions and social structures. Different people within DAF experience this as likely, inevitable, or already happening.

The DA Forum arose in response to Professor Jem Bendell’s academic paper, published in 2018 and revised in 2020. Both versions explore personal and collective changes that help some people to understand, prepare for, and live with societal disruption and collapse in as loving a way as possible. People from all walks of life are now considering what it means if it is too late to avert a global catastrophe. People are expressing fear and unease, sometimes in destructive ways. As the effects of climate chaos escalate, collective panic could bring about extreme forms of “othering,” such as xenophobia, racism, and even fascist responses.

No-one knows exactly what will happen, where, or when. But people in DAF notice that biosphere and climate disruptions are forcing people and other species to seek new ways and places to live. While all societies face collapse, racialised and Indigenous communities, and almost all non-human species, pay the earliest and highest price. The DA Forum invites participants to understand collapse from a global and historical perspective, rather than as something that has not happened yet. DA Forum participants recognise that many communities have already experienced the trauma of collapse, whether from natural causes or due to war, slavery, colonisation, or other social injustices. 

Privileged societies and economies exist today as a result of the injustices spoken of above. These injustices, the associated traumas, and their consequences are still being experienced by the global majority today. The DA Forum commits to standing in solidarity with all affected, human or otherwise, and to sharing learnings that may prevent injustices from continuing. The DA Forum recognises the need for awareness of responsibility, where and from whom acceptance is due, and the importance of reconciliation where possible.

The DA Forum currently engages about 15,000 participants from many backgrounds and countries. People connect with each other across all time zones on live video, blogs, and social media. The DA Forum creates a variety of spaces where people can freely discuss difficult things while co-creating loving responses to this predicament. People support each other, and explore what deep adaptation means to them and how they can respond with courage and compassion.

The DA Forum hosts several weekly and monthly events, both online and in person, free and by donation. Typical events and projects enable deep connection and creative collaboration, rather than just information-sharing. Newer participants frequently express their profound relief at finding a trustworthy place for connection instead of argument. Anyone at any level of collapse-awareness can seek support from our list of guides.

A Core Team of five modestly paid freelancers manages day-to-day operations. In addition, dedicated volunteers from around the world contribute a range of skills to support our community. The DA Forum’s network of online and in-person Affiliated Groups brings together geographical, language, and interest groups aligned with the DAF Charter. Anyone is welcome to join these networks for peer support, personal growth, and collaboration on projects.

The DA Forum relies on regular and generous donations of time and money to continue its work, including occasional small grants. The more financial support DAF receives, the greater the impact this social movement can have, reaching beyond borders, cultures, and social classes. The DA Forum is a catalyst for peace and positive transformation in an increasingly fragmented world.