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.

Deepening Relational Capacity to Confront the Polycrisis in Higher Education and Beyond

August 31, 2025

Sharon Stein, Vanessa Andreotti, Jean-Paul Restoule, Rose Vukovic, Catherine McGregor, Leslee Francis Pelton, Sandra Hundza, Todd Milford, Wendy Seager, Jasdeep Randhawa, Lisa Brunner and Aida Mohajeri

The authors examine the multifaceted challenges confronting Canadian higher education within a context of volatility, uncertainty, complexity, and ambiguity, as well as amid multiple overlapping crises. They analyze ten challenges:…

We’re Surrounded by Crises. What’s Stopping Us from Acting?

August 30, 2025

Michel Rauch

Michel Rauchs examines the interlinked environmental, economic, and social crises confronting contemporary society, arguing that these challenges constitute a broader metacrisis rooted in systemic flaws of our dominant institutions and…

Exploring the Intersection between Artificial Intelligence and Biological Sciences: Focus on Uses and Challenges

August 30, 2025

Observatorio de Riesgos Catastróficos Globales (ORCG)

This report examines how artificial intelligence is transforming biosafety, biosecurity, biodefense, and global health, while simultaneously introducing new biological risks. Drawing on a systematic review of 169 scientific articles and…

Reboot Development : The Economics of a Livable Planet

August 29, 2025

Richard Damania, Ebad Ebadi, Kentaro Florian Mayr, Jason Daniel Russ and Esha Dilip Zaveri

This report explores how economic growth has historically been linked to rising pollution and environmental degradation. It argues that new data and technologies now enable more informed policymaking and make…

The Price of Power: Navigating the Great Simplification

August 28, 2025

Nate Hagens

In this Cascade Institute Speaker Series episode, Dr. Nate Hagens, presents a compelling framework for understanding our world as a complex, energy-dependent “Superorganism” operating far from equilibrium. He analyzes potential…

Public Attitudes to Responding to Global Catastrophic Risks: A New Zealand Case Study

August 28, 2025

John Kerr, Matt Boyd and Nick Wilson

This paper examines public opinion on the New Zealand government’s potential role in planning for global catastrophic risks. Based on a representative survey, 66% of respondents supported the government developing…

Characterizing the Global Polycrisis: A Systematic Review of Recent Literature

August 25, 2025

Judith J. Rakowski, Linn N. Schaan, Roel van Klink, Iryna Herzon, Adina Arth, Gregor Hagedorn, Julian Rode, Felix Creutzig and Guy Pe'er.

The authors examine the concept of polycrisis, a term that has gained prominence for describing the interconnected nature of global challenges. Through a systematic review of 2,299 publications, the results…

It’s Time to Consider Global Catastrophic Food Failures

August 21, 2025

Noah J. Wescombe, Juan Garcia Martínez, Florian Ulrich Jehn, Nico Wunderling, Asaf Tzachor, Vilma Sandström, Michael Cassidy, Rachel Ainsworth and David Denkenberger

The authors explore how food systems face interconnected, systemic risks that could culminate in widespread disruptions, potentially triggering extreme global famine, alongside other neglected extreme risks. They introduce the term…

Planetary Peace for Human Security: Responses to Existential Risks in the Anthropocene

August 21, 2025

Paul Shrivastava, Carlos Álvarez Pereira and Laetitia Mairlot

In this report, the Club of Rome argues that the current peace architecture, largely shaped by a few dominant powers in the post–World War II era, is no longer fit…

Positive Externalities in the Polycrisis: Effectively Addressing Disaster and Climate Risks for Generating Multiple Resilience Dividends

August 20, 2025

Reinhard Mechler, Piotr Żebrowski, Romain Clercq‑Roques, Pratik Patil and Stefan Hochrainer‑Stigler

This paper argues that, in the context of the Polycrisis, further investment is urgently needed to address the underlying drivers of disaster and climate-related risks. The authors examine the state…

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.

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