World Economic Forum: Time to Retire “Polycrisis” for “Polytunity”

This edited conversation from the World Economic Forum’s 2026 Summer Davos examines Yuen Yuen Ang’s proposal to reframe “polycrisis” as “polytunity”, emphasising the opportunities for transformation that can emerge when multiple global systems experience disruption simultaneously. Yuen Yuen Ang argues that the concept of polycrisis can encourage a fear-driven and paralysing view of interconnected threats, while periods of breakdown in globalisation, geopolitical order, climate conditions, and economic systems can create openings for structural change. Drawing particularly on China’s economic transformation and the changing global balance of power, she highlights opportunities for new forms of innovation, development, and greater agency among countries in Africa, Asia, and Latin America. The conversation ultimately presents contemporary global disruption as a combination of serious risks and opportunities, calling for greater attention to how societies can use periods of systemic instability to pursue deeper economic and political transformation.