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.

Cascading socio-economic and financial impacts of the Russia-Ukraine war differ across sectors and regions

Cornelia Auer, Francesco Bosello, Giacomo Bressan, Elisa Delpiazzo, Irene Monasterolo, Christian Otto, Ramiro Parrado and Christopher P. O. Reyer

The authors examine how financial markets amplify the cascading socio-economic impacts of global food and energy trade disruptions. Applying their methodology to the Russia-Ukraine war, they reveal regionally diverse effects,…

Extinction of the human species: What could cause it and how likely is it to occur?

Sean ÓhÉigeartaigh

The author explores the growing body of scientific and scholarly work on human extinction and existential risks, focusing on the question: “What could kill everyone, and how likely is it…

What is this era of calamity we’re in? Some say ‘polycrisis’ captures it

Matthew Cantor

This article examines the concept of polycrisis, explaining how interconnected crises heighten global instability. It highlights the Cascade Institute’s efforts to identify high-leverage intervention points — strategic areas where targeted…

Fossil Fuels as the Cause of the Global Polycrisis

Change Oracle

This article argues how fossil fuels are both the main driver of the polycrisis and a significant barrier to effective climate action. It highlights how the global economy’s dependence on…

Communicating a World-in-Crisis

Simon Cottle (ed.)

This book explores innovative ways in which different media, communicative fields, and creative practices are making a difference in a world increasingly defined by systemic, deepening, and compounding crises. It…

From Polycrisis to Polysolutions: An Interdisciplinary Approach to Complex Global Challenges

Dan Schreiber, Sarah Hassnaoui, Anne Weyembergh, Malte Brosig, Kamatara Kanifa and Anthony Tibaingana

This PolyCIVIS Foundational Brief explores the complexities of the polycrisis, examining the human dimension and focusing on governance, economic systems, and public trust. It analyzes the politics of framing the…

Humanitarian Aid in the Polycrisis: Local and Systems Thinking Approaches

Evika Karamagioli, Manos Pikoulis and Chrysafo Arvaniti

This policy brief explores how the humanitarian sector must adapt to increasingly complex polycrisis . It presents key recommendations for reimagining humanitarian aid to prevent a slide into permacrisis, emphasizing…

Global Interconnectedness of Risks: A Worldwide Analysis

Marcella Lucchetta

The author explores the interconnected global risk landscape, where various risks amplify one another, potentially causing cascading effects across regions and sectors. She examines the global relationship between different types…

Planetary Boundaries, Polycrisis and Politics in the Anthropocene: Climate Pathways, Tipping Cascades and Transition to Sustainable Peace in Integrative Geography

Jürgen Scheffran

This chapter explores the impacts of the “great acceleration” in human development and its impact on planetary boundaries and the polycrisis in the Anthropocene. Using an Integrative Geography perspective, it…

Systemic Risk and the Polycrisis

Florian U. Jehn

The author explores the concepts of systemic risk, polycrisis, and catastrophic risk, explaining how interconnected failures can cascade across diverse systems, threatening global stability. He emphasizes how systemic risk and…

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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