The Disruption Nexus
Roman Krznaric
This article discusses whether current crises will contribute to civilizational breakdown or whether humanity will successfully rise to such challenges.
Polycrisis Resource Library
The Polycrisis Resource Library is a growing collection of media that help to understand polycrisis, develop strategies to address polycrisis, and build a field of polycrisis analysis.
Accelerating the Green Transition: Socioecological Systems and the Future of Development
Kishan Khoday
This report highlights lessons from new integrated local solutions in the Middle East and North Africa to manage risks and build resilience. It advocates for a new systems orientation to…
From polycrisis to metacrisis: harnessing windows of opportunity for renewed political leadership in global health diplomacy
Brian Li Han Wong, Anders Nordström, Peter Piot and Helen Clark
This commentary presents key insights from the conference on “International Politics, Leadership and Diplomacy for Health” held in Stockholm, Sweden in November 2023. It highlights the need to seize opportunities…
Understanding and Mitigating Cascading Crises in the Global Interconnected System
Gianluca Pescaroli, Michael Nones, Luca Galbusera and David Alexander
This paper outlines key theoretical, methodological and organisational steps for understanding and mitigating cascading crises. It highlights new areas for integrated and collaborative research that involves cascading risk.
Quantitative Analysis of EMDAT Indicates Changes in Disaster Trends over 124 Years Associated with Polycrisis
Sienna Mark, Margarida Soares Rodrigues, Samantha Holder, Daniel Hoyer, Rod Schoonover and Daniel P. Aldrich
This study examines the increasing frequency, intensity, and interconnectedness of global hazards, both natural and human-made, over the past century.
The Pact for the Future
General Assembly United Nations
On September 22, 2024 world leaders adopted a Pact for the Future. The Pact covers a broad range of issues, including peace and security, sustainable development, climate change, digital cooperation,…
Navigating New Horizons: A global foresight report on planetary health and human wellbeing
United Nations Environment Programme and International Science Council
The report outlines the results of the strategic foresight and horizon scanning developed by UNEP to help navigate current and future uncertainty and disruptive change. It presents insights on eight…
Permacrisis: A Plan to Fix a Fractured World
Gordon Brown, Mohamed El-Erian, Michael Spence and Reid Lidow
The authors analyze underlying drivers of the Permacrisis, explaining how current trends could exacerbate the situation. They propose strategies to transform vicious cycles into virtuous ones.
Global Catastrophic Risk Assessment
Henry H. Willis, Anu Narayanan, Benjamin Boudreaux, Bianca Espinosa, Edward Geist, Daniel M. Gerstein, Dahlia Anne Goldfeld, Nidhi Kalra, Tom LaTourrette, Emily Lathrop, et al.
This report summarizes what is known about the risks associated with six threats and hazards: artificial intelligence, asteroid and comet impacts, sudden and severe changes to Earth’s climate, nuclear war,…
About the Resource Library
The Polycrisis Resource Library includes resources that:
- Comment on the polycrisis as a concept and as a present global reality
- Undertake similar analysis using different—but related—concepts
- Analyze crisis interactions among multiple global systems
Though not exhaustive, the Library strives to present a diverse representation of views on different aspects of the polycrisis discussion, and will be updated as that discussion evolves. Search for resources with the keyword search bar, or by using the drop-down menus to filter for type of resource, global systems addressed, and key themes.
The Need for Global Social Epidemiology in the Polycrisis era
Davide Rasella, Ivalda Macicame, Aliya Naheed, Megan Naidoo, Elisa Landin-Basterra, Natanael Silva, Ana L. Moncayo, Andrés Trotta and Luis Eugenio Portela Fernandes de Souza
This commentary advocates for the creation of global social epidemiology (GSE)—a new and potentially more effective approach to address the challenges of the current polycrisis era.