Characterizing the Global Polycrisis: A Systematic Review of Recent Literature

The authors examine the concept of polycrisis, a term that has gained prominence for describing the interconnected nature of global challenges. Through a systematic review of 2,299 publications, the results indicate a common understanding of the polycrisis as multiple co-occurring, causally entangled crises with synergistic and cascading effects on multiple systems degrading humanity’s prospects. While global challenges such as climate change, health, and inequality are frequently cited, their interconnections are underexplored. The study highlights systemic societal and economic drivers and calls for transformational interventions and further research into causal pathways, identify vulnerabilities, review interventions, and harmonize knowledge systems for action.