This report addresses the escalating risk of “planetary insolvency,” a systemic breakdown driven by accelerating climate change and ecological destabilization. It highlights that global temperatures are rising faster than predicted, partly due to the loss of “aerosol cooling”—a hidden sunshade effect caused by air pollution that has offset approximately 0.5°C of warming. The report warns […]
Parasol Lost Report Read More »
This report identifies ten critical issues expected to shape the EU’s political agenda and global engagement in 2026. It highlights growing geopolitical tensions, the accelerating impact of artificial intelligence, mounting climate and energy pressures, and increasing strain on democratic institutions. Other key concerns include migration, economic fragmentation, demographic decline, and the sustainability of health systems.
Ten Issues to Watch in 2026 Read More »
This article explores how 2025 marked a defining year for global public health, shaped by a polycrisis of resurgent infectious diseases, climate-driven emergencies, antimicrobial resistance, and an escalating mental health burden. It details the re-emergence of diseases like measles and mpox, record-breaking dengue outbreaks, and rising drug-resistant infections, alongside the growing toll of extreme heat,
2025’s Global Health Polycrisis: Climate, Contagion and the Limits of our Defences Read More »
In this book, Gilberto Seravalli examines the challenges of fostering collective action amid widespread political, economic, and institutional instability. Framed by the concept of polycrisis, the analysis explores the structural limitations of state and market mechanisms, the erosion of equality, and the pressures contributing to democratic fatigue and authoritarian drift. Combining documentary evidence with quantitative
Collective Action in the Age of Polycrisis Read More »
This article critically examines the concept of polycrisis, tracing its evolution from rhetorical buzzword to an emerging analytical lens in sustainability and crisis research. Based on a Q-methodology study involving 50 experts, the authors identify four distinct framings of polycrisis: as analytically tractable, as networked shocks, as a global governance challenge, and as requiring conceptual
More Than a Buzzword? Mapping Interpretations of the ‘Polycrisis’ Read More »
This article introduces the Crisis Database, a comprehensive resource that systematically documents 168 historical societal crises across different time periods, regions, and levels of complexity. Aiming to overcome small-sample bias in previous studies, the database captures a wide range of political, economic, cultural, and institutional factors associated with crises, as well as their consequences—such as
The authors critically examine three existential threats facing humanity in the 21st century: advanced artificial intelligence, escalating climate change, and nuclear weapons. Drawing on scientific consensus and growing institutional concern, they explore the structural features that make each threat existential and analyze their dangerous interactions. The authors propose a framework for future inquiry, policy, and
This article explores why young Canadians are increasingly reporting feelings of despair amid what experts describe as a global polycrisis. Drawing on personal testimonies, it reflects on how a generation shaped by constant exposure to global tragedies, political uncertainty, and systemic challenges amplified by social media is experiencing heightened anxiety and hopelessness. Unlike past eras
World of Woes: How the Global Polycrisis is Shaping Canada’s Youth Read More »
The Watchlist 2026 report by the International Rescue Committee (IRC) highlights the deepening intersection of conflict, climate change, and economic instability across 20 crisis-prone countries. It warns of a dangerous divergence: while humanitarian needs are surging—with over 239 million people requiring assistance, catastrophic food insecurity in six countries, and the highest number of active conflicts
2026 Emergency Watchlist Read More »
The Cross Current series explores the dynamics, disruptions, and discoveries shaping our world. Experts from diverse disciplines engage in cross-sector conversations to deepen understanding of the interconnected risks driving today’s polycrisis.
Cross Currents Conversation Series Read More »
