In this episode, Thomas Homer-Dixon, Executive Director of the Cascade Institute, and Manjana Milkoreit, postdoctoral researcher at the University of Oslo, explore the growing risks of global polycrisis. Through the lens of complexity science, Homer-Dixon explains how tightly coupled human and Earth systems are increasingly vulnerable to self-amplifying cascades—interlinked crises driven by energy use, environmental […]
Planet in Polycrisis Read More »
Stephen Heintz and Kim Stanley Robinson explore the concept of the polycrisis and the urgent need for comprehensive reform of global governance. In an era marked by interconnected political, economic, technological, and environmental challenges that transcend national borders, current institutions are proving inadequate. This dialogue reflects on historical moments of transformation and argues for a
A Logic For The Future Read More »
In this special issue of Recherche et politique appliquée, an initiative led by the Interdisciplinary Research Laboratory on Risks and Crises (LIRIC), the concept of polycrisis is explored through practical applications. Featuring contributions from graduate students, the issue offers critical reflections on the meaning, emergence, and operationalization of polycrisis across academic and francophone contexts.
Polycrises: A New International Reality? Read More »
This paper presents an integrated systems approach to resilience and tipping points by bridging heuristic models with mathematical frameworks from dynamical systems theory. Using the ball-and-cup model alongside the S-shaped bifurcation curve, the authors demonstrate how concepts such as stability, adaptive capacity, and vulnerability can be formally defined and applied to complex ecological, climate, and
Principles for Guiding Future Research on Resilience and Tipping Points Read More »
This chapter explores the impacts of the “great acceleration” in human development and its impact on planetary boundaries and the polycrisis in the Anthropocene. Using an Integrative Geography perspective, it links human-nature relationships, growth limits, and global expansion to crises and geopolitical conflicts, highlighting interconnected risks. The chapter calls for sustainable peace by balancing human
The authors use the polycrisis lens to examine how interconnected global crises—economic, environmental, health, and political—intensify health inequalities. They argue that polycrisis amplify these inequalities and suggest strategies to mitigate their impacts, outlining pathways for future research.
The Global Polycrisis and Health Inequalities Read More »
The authors explore the intertwined crises of climate change, biodiversity loss, and poverty, emphasizing how these issues amplify one another and create a vicious cycle that threatens ecosystems, livelihoods, and global stability. They advocate for integrated approaches to address these interconnected challenges.
Interconnected Crises: Climate Change, Biodiversity Loss, Poverty Read More »
The authors discuss the inadequacy of current policies in addressing interconnected crises like biodiversity loss, climate change, and pollution. Drawing on two IPBES assessment reports, they argue that while these reports offer effective policy options for transformative change, progress in implementing these solutions remains insufficient.
The authors argue for a more integrated framework to understand existential risks by bridging two dominant paradigms: Planetary Boundaries and Global Catastrophic Risks. Using the COVID-19 pandemic as a case study, the authors analyze how pandemics reveal the interconnectedness of public health, environmental degradation, and global systems. They critique the fragmentation between the Planetary Boundaries
The Global Risks Report 2025 presents insights from the Global Risks Perception Survey 2024-2025, which gathered input from over 900 experts worldwide. The report analyzes global risks across three timeframes—immediate (2025), short-to medium-term (2027), and long-term (2035)—to help decision-makers navigate current and future challenges.
The Global Risks Report 2025 Read More »
