The authors examine why the world’s most urgent problems remain unsolved, emphasizing their interconnected and self-perpetuating nature. Drawing on theories of systemic failure and cumulative causation, they show how global issues interlock in degenerative cycles that cannot be addressed in isolation. By mapping 162 global issues into seven overarching categories, the “Wicked 7,” they identify […]
Wicked Problems: The Book Read More »
The article explores the co-occurrence of threats to freshwater species globally and the interconnectedness of threat networks. Using probabilistic network analysis and data from the International Union for the Conservation of Nature, it reveals that these threats are interconnected and rarely occur in isolation.
The Interconnected Nature of Multiple Threats is Impacting Freshwater Biodiversity Read More »
The authors examine the interconnected challenges of climate change, chemical pollution, and biodiversity loss, emphasizing that climate mitigation often overlooks chemicals and materials. As most chemicals come from petrochemicals, reducing fossil fuel use requires shifting to alternative carbon sources, but this alone may worsen biodiversity loss. They propose a comprehensive strategy to address the interconnections
Confronting the interconnection of chemical pollution and climate change Read More »
The authors present a bibliometric analysis of the research landscape on climate change risk assessment for species and ecosystems, identifying key themes, trends and collaborations. They integrate correlative, mechanistic, trait-based and criteria-based approaches, offering a comprehensive evaluation of their strengths and limitations. Five foundational concepts are highlighted as central to assessing risk: exposure, sensitivity, adaptivity,
The report outlines the results of the strategic foresight and horizon scanning developed by UNEP to help navigate current and future uncertainty and disruptive change. It presents insights on eight critical global shifts that are accelerating the planetary crisis of climate change, biodiversity and nature loss and, pollution and waste.
Global Tipping Points is a report, led by the University of Exeter’s Global Systems Institute and funded by the Bezos Earth Fund, that identifies negative and positive tipping points with regards to ongoing global crises. According to the report, the existence of negative tipping points shows that the threats posed by the current crises we
Global Tipping Points Report 2023 Read More »
In this video, Dr. Sabrina Fernandes discusses how to rethink the Polycrisis from an internationalist Global South perspective and how it relates to transition and climate justice. Fernandes begins by using an aerial photograph as an illustration of the influences human actions have on nature and the climate crisis. Fernandes then touches on topics such
Transition and Climate Crisis with Sabrina Fernandes at the University of Bath Read More »
In this article, the authors, inspired by the polycrisis, identify and explore potential 14 traps affecting humanity in the global human context, brought about by the trajectory of our increasing complexity and influence on the Earth system. These traps are then categorized as global, technological, or structural traps and then further assessed to produce statistical
Evolution of the Polycrisis: Anthropocene Traps that Challenge Global Sustainability Read More »
Using expert solicitation, the authors identify 14 “evolutionary traps” (global, technological, and structural) that risk locking humanity into unfavorable (maladaptive) trajectories that seriously restrict its ability to adapt to the Anthropocene. These traps develop over four phases: initiation, scaling, masking (of harmful interactions), and trapping. The fourth phase involves one of five trapping mechanisms: constraints,
Evolution of the polycrisis: Anthropocene traps that challenge global sustainability Read More »
In this article, the authors argue that the polycrisis is the manifestation of challenges outlined by the earlier scholarship of the “global problematique,” a set of systemically related factors including political, social, and ecological challenges such as pollution, resource depletion, and population growth. The polycrisis is recognized as the outcome of profound governance crises that
