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 polycrisis expose both the vulnerabilities and adaptive capacities of our global systems. The article illustrates that while a single failure can trigger widespread collapse, history […]
Systemic Risk and the Polycrisis Read More »
The authors argue for a more integrated framework to understand existential risks by bridging two dominant paradigms: Planetary Boundaries and Global Catastrophic Risks. Using the COVID-19 pandemic as a case study, the authors analyze how pandemics reveal the interconnectedness of public health, environmental degradation, and global systems. They critique the fragmentation between the Planetary Boundaries
The report presents a global risk management framework to address climate-related challenges and introduces the Planetary Solvency risk dashboard, providing policymakers with actionable insights to guide human activity within the planet’s finite resources.
Planetary Solvency – finding our balance with nature Read More »
The Global Risks Report 2025 presents insights from the Global Risks Perception Survey 2024-2025, which gathered input from over 900 experts worldwide. The report analyzes global risks across three timeframes—immediate (2025), short-to medium-term (2027), and long-term (2035)—to help decision-makers navigate current and future challenges.
The Global Risks Report 2025 Read More »
Jesse Damiani analyzes the Los Angeles fires, emphasizing their devastating impact on the city’s infrastructure and communities. He argues that these types of unprecedented weather events are symptoms of a broader “ecological overshoot,” which he identifies as the primary driver of a state of collapse. Damiani also explores strategies for resilience and adaptation to navigate
Andrew Busch examines the top global disaster risks for 2025, highlighting their interconnected nature, the compounding effects they may have, and potential strategies for effective risk management.
Top 10 2025 Global Disaster Risks Read More »
This paper reviews the findings of a pilot online mapping exercise of emerging risks conducted by the OECD High-Level Risk Forum. Nearly half of the risks shortlisted during the first stage were related to socio-environmental issues, including extreme temperatures and heatwaves, drinking water scarcity, the spread of vector-borne diseases to new areas, climate change-induced mass
Mapping Emerging Critical Risks Read More »
The report presents an annual forecast of the political risks that are most likely to play out over the course of 2024.
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 development paradigms and practice to achieve goals of transformational change.
Accelerating the Green Transition: Socioecological Systems and the Future of Development Read More »
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.
Understanding and Mitigating Cascading Crises in the Global Interconnected System Read More »
