Managing and Mitigating Future Public Health Risks: Planetary Boundaries, Global Catastrophic Risk, and Inclusive Wealth

The authors argue for a more integrated framework to understand existential risks by bridging two dominant paradigms: Planetary Boundaries and Global Catastrophic Risks. Using the COVID-19 pandemic as a case study, the authors analyze how pandemics reveal the interconnectedness of public health, environmental degradation, and global systems. They critique the fragmentation between the Planetary Boundaries and Global Catastrophic Risks approaches, proposing a holistic model that situates Planetary Boundaries within the broader Global Catastrophic Risks framework. The authors emphasize the difficulty of risk categorization, the need to account for complex interactions across systems, and the role of human agency in adapting to crises. They call for a shift from Gross Domestic Product to Inclusive Wealth as a more comprehensive measure of resilience and sustainable development.