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.

Earth Beyond Six of Nine Planetary Boundaries

September 13, 2023

Katherine Richardson, Will Steffen, Wolfgang Lucht, Jørgen Bendtsen, Sarah E. Cornell, Jonathan F. Donges, Markus Drüke, Ingo Fetzer, Govindasamy Bala, Werner von Bloh, Georg Feulner, Stephanie Fiedler, Dieter Gerten, Tom Gleeson, Matthias Hofmann, Willem Huiskamp, Matti Kummu, Chinchu Mohan, David Nogués-Bravo, Stefan Petri, Miina Porkka, Stefan Rahmstorf, Sibyll Schaphoff, Kirsten Thonicke, Arne Tobian, Vili Virkki, Lan Wang-Erlandsson, Lisa Weber and Johan Rockström

The authors present an updated analysis of the planetary boundaries framework, revealing that human activities have pushed Earth beyond six of the nine critical environmental thresholds that define a safe…

Mitigating Global Warming is Not Our Only Problem: Are We “Sleepwalking” Towards a Global Polycrisis?

September 13, 2023

William White

William White argues that climate policy around the world is lacking in dimensions of “should” (clear analysis of what must be done), “could” (the power to implement solutions), and “would”…

The Polycrisis: An Introduction

September 12, 2023

Nick King

This webinar addresses the origin and definition of the term ‘Polycrisis’; the environmental, social, political and economic factors contributing to the Polycrisis; and the risks arising from the accumulation, interaction,…

Polycrisis? What Polycrisis?

September 5, 2023

Alastair Benn

Alistair Benn argues that the polycrisis, with its overwhelming notion of multiple inter-related crises, is an illusory product of social media technologies that overload users with “shock after shock” and…

The Great Disruption has Begun

September 3, 2023

Paul Gilding

Paul Gilding argues that the world has reached “a multi-system tipping point” that will bring “the Great Disruption”: “a destabilisation of the global climate system at a scale that is…

Capital as Force for Good: Solutions to Close the SDG Gap

September 1, 2023

The Force for Good Initiative

Noting that the world is failing to meet the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), this report explores six key solution areas to bridge the gap, encompassing policy, public sector activity, technology,…

Hawaii Wildfires Expose Need for Resilience in a Polycrisis World

August 24, 2023

Joseph Fiskel argues that the Maui wildfire reveals just how unprepared communities are to face polycrises. In response, he advocates systems thinking and greater resilience: “Rather than simply ‘bouncing back’ from…

The Era of Global Risk: An Introduction to Existential Risk Studies

August 23, 2023

S. J. Beard, Martin Rees, Catherine Richards, and Clarissa Rios Rojas, eds.

This edited volume argues that humanity has entered a fundamentally novel era of existential risk. These risks range from global-scale natural disasters (like volcanic super-eruptions) to anthropogenic environmental destabilization (like…

Hazards with Escalation Potential: Governing the Drivers of Global and Existential Catastrophes

August 21, 2023

Maxime Stauffer, Jenty Kirsch-Wood, Anne-Sophie Stevance, Lara Mani, Lalitha Sundaram, Sarah Dryhurst and Konrad Seifert

This report identifies hazards that, when combined with corresponding vulnerabilities and exposures, could lead to global and existential catastrophes. It aims to gather governance insights on risk cascades through a…

Let’s Avoid ‘Trigger Fixation’

August 19, 2023

Michael Lawrence and Thomas Homer-Dixon

The authors argue that a trigger event can’t start a crisis by itself; some underlying stress or stresses must also be operating. They contend that leaders should pay far more…

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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