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.

The World’s Cascade of Disasters is Not a Coincidence

Niall Ferguson

Niall Ferguson proposes that “Superficially… [it’s] no more than a very nasty coincidence that the latest wave of the pandemic should happen at the same time as so many extreme…

Interacting Tipping Elements Increase Risk of Climate Domino Effects under Global Warming

Nico Wunderling, Jonathan F. Donges, Jürgen Kurths, and Ricarda Winkelmann

The authors use Boolean and dynamic network models to investigate how the the interactions of climate tipping elements (Greenland Ice Sheet, West Antarctic Ice Sheet, Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC),…

Assessing Climate Change’s Contribution to Global Catastrophic Risk

S.J. Beard, Lauren Holt, Asaf Tzachor, Luke Kemp, Shahar Avin, Phil Torres and Haydn Belfield

The authors seek to build an analytical framework to help explore climate change’s contribution to Global Catastrophic Risk, including the role of its indirect and systemic impacts.

Tasting the Pickle: Ten Flavours of Meta-Crisis and the Appetite for a New Civilisation

Jonathan Rowson

Jonathan Rowson reflects on the many ‘flavours’ of meta-crisis, framing them through personal anecdotes, emotions, and spirituality. “There is a broader crisis of civilisational purpose that appears to necessitate political…

The New Systems Reader

The New Systems Reader

James Gustave Speth and Kathleen Courrier (eds.)

Solutions to single problems are never enough when crises stem from flaws in their hosts systems. The New Systems Reader brings together thinkers and activists to propose strategies for systemic…

Deep Adaptation: A Map for Navigating Climate Tragedy (revised 2nd edition)

Jem Bendell

Starting from the premise that society will collapse in the near-term, Jem Bendell argues that rather than debating the inevitability of that collapse we should consider what to do when…

Dynamics of Tipping Cascades on Complex Networks

Jonathan Krönke, Nico Wunderling, Ricarda Winkelmann, Arie Staal, Benedikt Stumpf, Obbe A. Tuinenburg, and Jonathan F. Donges

This article examines network models to better predict tipping points, defined as “a critical threshold (tipping point) at which a tiny perturbation can qualitatively alter the state or development of…

How Everything Can Collapse: A Manual for our Times

Pablo Servigne and Raphaël Stevens

Pablo Servigne and Raphaël Stevens confront the possibility of civilizational collapse within our lifetimes, examining scientific evidence of growing systemic crises. They connect abstract scientific findings to everyday experiences, linking…

Reducing Global Catastrophic Biological Risks

Gregory Lewis

This guide defines global catastrophic biological risks (GCBRs) as “risks that threaten great worldwide damage to human welfare, and place the long-term trajectory of humankind in jeopardy… [and are] broadly…

Integrating Collapse Theories to Understand Socio-Ecological Systems Resilience

Cathy Rubiños and John M. Anderies

This longitudinal case study applies collapse theory to the Piura Basin of Peru, a region subject to extreme El Niño weather events, that has previously seen societal collapse in the…

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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