Towards a Sustainable Future in the Age of Polycrisis
The authors explore a holistic picture of a social transformation process to address the challenges of the age of polycrisis.
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Academic Journal Article
Systemic contributions to global catastrophic risk
This article examines two distinct but related approaches to the global risk landscape: one explores how risks emerge from complex global systems, while the other focuses on worst-case outcomes. The authors present a framework that connects these perspectives, highlighting how emergent properties of the global system—such as hazards, amplification, vulnerability, and latent risks—drive the potential
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Introduction: Escaping the Politics Trap? EU Integration Pathways Beyond the Polycrisis
The authors argue that since 2016, the European Union (EU) has been in a state of ‘polycrisis,’ where interconnected challenges threaten its cohesion and legitimacy. They develop an analytical framework elaborating the concepts of polycrises, polycleavages, and politics traps, applying it to the Covid-19 pandemic and the Russian invasion of Ukraine. They conclude that, despite
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The Disruption Nexus
Roman Krznaric explores the conditions in which crises lead to transformative societal change. He finds that transformative responses are most common in conditions of war, disaster, revolution, and disruption. The latter refers to “a moment of system instability that provides opportunities for rapid transformation” which is created by the “disruption nexus” of crisis events (typically
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Governance for Earth System Tipping Points – A Research Agenda
The authors propose a new interdisciplinary research agenda to address the challenges that earth system tipping points pose for global governance. They argue that current institutions and policy tools are inadequate for managing the rapid, non-linear, and potentially irreversible nature of tipping processes. The paper seeks to develop a governance framework specifically suited to the
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A delusion of control: Loss of agency in modern complex systems
This article argues that as “we increasingly rely on [globalized complex adaptive systems], we surrender more and more individual autonomy and agency, diminishing our ability to actually control our outcomes and wellbeing.” Concomitantly, “the illusion that we as individuals–or even as a society–can fully control the modern complex systems-of-systems that enable modern living is a
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Polycrisis in the Anthropocene as a Key Research Agenda for Geography: Ontological Delineation and the Shift to a Postdisciplinary Approach
Motivated by a desire to strengthen the social relevance of geography in the quest for global sustainability, Matlovic and Matlovicova discuss how the subdisciplines of geography and the rich heritage they present, as well as other related disciplines, can be integrated into the geographical study of polycrisis in the Anthropocene epoch. The authors identify polycrisis
An interdisciplinary review of systemic risk factors leading up to existential risks
The author explores the interdisciplinary nature of systemic risks arising from economic, technological, sociopolitical, and ecological factors. He aims to establish a foundation for an integrated approach to systemic risks, highlighting the need to align risk factors and terminology to strengthen global resilience against cascading threats.
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Institutional designs and dynamics of crisis governance at the local level: European governments facing the polycrisis
The authors analyze the institutional design variations in local crisis governance responses to the COVID-19 pandemic and their intersection with other significant local crises from a cross-country comparative perspective, focusing on France, Germany, Poland, Sweden, and the UK (England).
Young Adults from Disadvantaged Groups Experience More Stress and Deterioration in Mental Health Associated with Polycrisis
This paper presents exploratory findings concerning the susceptibility of young adults to the impact of stress and increased risk on experiencing poorer mental health when confronted by the ongoing polycrisis.