Learning resource Archives

We’re In a New Everything-Is- Connected Epoch. But What to Call It?

In this article, Thomas L. Friedman introduces the concept of the “Polycene”, a new epoch characterized by the convergence of multiple accelerating forces, including artificial intelligence, climate change, geopolitical realignment, and social transformation. Friedman argues that humanity has moved beyond the binary frameworks that structured the Cold War and post–Cold War eras into a profoundly […]

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Mapping the Hope Attractor: A Conversation with Thomas- Homer Dixon

In this conversation, Thomas Homer-Dixon introduces the Cascade Institute’s Polycrisis Core Model (PCM), a novel framework designed to map and analyse interactions among 11 critical global systems, each with multiple potential future states. The model employs cross-impact balance (CIB) analysis to evaluate over four million internally consistent scenarios, ultimately identifying 11 distinct “attractor” states. These

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Coping with Polycrisis and Systemic Risks: New Approaches to Assessment and Governance

In this webinar, hosted by the World Academy of Art and Science and its EXTRA initiative, experts explored the interconnected nature of global crises and the systemic risks emerging from complex, cascading interactions across ecological, social, and technological systems. Topics included food system vulnerabilities, equity-centered governance, resilience dividends and positive externalities, and the modeling of

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Savvy, Skeptical ‘Polycrisis Shoppers’ Are Browsing Your Aisles – Here’s What to Do

The author examines how the polycrisis is reshaping consumer behaviour and the food industry. Amid inflation, climate-driven crop failures, and global supply chain disruptions, a new type of consumer has emerged: the Polycrisis Shopper. These shoppers are hyperaware, price-sensitive, and pragmatic, abandoning brand loyalty in favour of value, transparency, and sustainability. They balance stockpiling with

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AI for a Planet Under Pressure

The report AI for a Planet Under Pressure examines the potential of artificial intelligence (AI) to address the contemporary polycrisis by supporting research and decision-making across interconnected sustainability challenges. Synthesizing expert assessments and AI-supported analysis of over 8,500 publications, it evaluates AI’s role across eight critical domains: systemic shocks, Earth system dynamics, ocean stewardship, freshwater

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Tackling the Complex Links Between Climate Change, Conflict, and Health

The authors underscore the urgent need to address the interconnected threats of climate change, conflict, and health. They highlight how these threats not only cause direct harm, such as heat-related deaths and conflict-driven mortality, but also compound vulnerabilities by damaging health systems, disrupting essential services, and fueling cycles of instability. Fragile and conflict-affected states are

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The European Union in the Age of Polycrisis: Italian Public Opinion in Comparative Perspective

The authors explore how public attitudes toward the European Union have evolved in the age of polycrisis. Through a comparative analysis of Italy, France, Germany, Poland, Spain, and Sweden, the study reveals that certain crises can bolster support for the EU, while others deepen disaffection or ambivalence. Despite rising Euroscepticism in many European countries, the

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Addressing the Globe’s Polycrisis with Lou Leonard, Dean of Clark University’s School of Climate, Environment, and Society

In this episode, Dr. Lou Leonard explores the global polycrisis—a convergence of multiple crisis such as climate change, ecological degradation, and rising inequality. He explains how these overlapping challenges are weakening natural systems and disrupting the foundations of our economies and societies. Leonard emphasizes the urgency of confronting these interconnected issues and highlights the importance

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The Impact of a Polycrisis on Policy and Institutional Change: A Framework for Analysis and Methodology

This article introduces a special issue dedicated to examining the management of the polycrisis and the policy responses of Lithuanian governments and public sector organizations between 2021 and 2025. It outlines the theoretical framework and research methodology used to analyze strategic decisions and operational practices in the areas of migration, energy, and sanctions policy, all

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Polycrisis & Policy Brief Series

This webinar explores how the ongoing polycrisis—marked by overlapping ecological, economic, political, and social stressors—continues to destabilize regions across Africa and the Middle East. Using Egypt as a focal point, the discussion highlighted how unresolved structural vulnerabilities from the Arab Spring era remain deeply interconnected, with rising inequality, environmental degradation, and political repression still threatening

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