Food

The Perfect Storm: How Intertwined Crises are Reshaping Global Food Security and Commodity Markets

The article examines how cascading crises during 2024 and 2025, including climate extremes, geopolitical conflicts, and economic pressures, have disrupted global agricultural supply chains. These disruptions have led to rising food prices, supply shortages, and increased food insecurity. The analysis identifies winners and losers among public companies, noting that those investing in sustainability, technology, and […]

The Perfect Storm: How Intertwined Crises are Reshaping Global Food Security and Commodity Markets Read More »

Global Systemic Stresses: Understanding the Drivers of Polycrisis

This report introduces the Cascade Institute’s Stress-Trigger-Crisis model, a systemic framework that distinguishes between slow-moving stresses that erode the resilience of global systems and fast-moving trigger events that precipitate crises. It identifies 14 global systemic stresses that affect nine vital systems: climate, ecology, food, energy, economy, infrastructure, health, social order and governance, and world order.

Global Systemic Stresses: Understanding the Drivers of Polycrisis Read More »

It’s Time to Consider Global Catastrophic Food Failures

The authors explore how food systems face interconnected, systemic risks that could culminate in widespread disruptions, potentially triggering extreme global famine, alongside other neglected extreme risks. They introduce the term Global Catastrophic Food Failure (GCFF) as a type of global catastrophic risk, intended to unify diverse strands of research focused on ensuring global food availability

It’s Time to Consider Global Catastrophic Food Failures Read More »

A Systemic Risk Assessment Methodological Framework for the Global Polycrisis

The paper examines two historical global food–energy crises, highlighting the limitations of traditional risk management approaches in addressing today’s complex and interconnected global risks. The authors propose a methodological framework for assessing systemic risks in a global polycrisis context, which includes exploring system architectures, considering transformational responses away from risks, and applying cross-cutting practices. They

A Systemic Risk Assessment Methodological Framework for the Global Polycrisis Read More »

Global Food Security in a Turbulent World: Reviewing the Impacts of the Pandemic, the War and Climate Change

The authors explore how the COVID-19 pandemic, the Russia–Ukraine war, and climate change have jointly disrupted global food security. Drawing on recent empirical evidence, the paper examines the mechanisms through which each shock has affected the four key dimensions of food security: availability, access, utilization, and stability. By highlighting the compounding effects of these overlapping

Global Food Security in a Turbulent World: Reviewing the Impacts of the Pandemic, the War and Climate Change Read More »

Polycrisis in Agrifood Systems: Climate-Conflict Interactions and Labor Dynamics for Women and Youth in 21 African Countries

This paper examines how armed conflict and climate change jointly affect individual labour intensity in 21 African countries. Using labour force surveys alongside climate and conflict event data, the study finds that extreme climate events have more severe negative impacts in regions already affected by conflict. These compounded effects, framed as a climate-conflict polycrisis, disproportionately

Polycrisis in Agrifood Systems: Climate-Conflict Interactions and Labor Dynamics for Women and Youth in 21 African Countries Read More »

Ways Out of the Polycrisis

In this article, Jürgen Scheffran explores the escalating global polycrisis arguing that current governance systems are failing to prevent catastrophic tipping points in the Earth system. He emphasizes the urgency of shifting from reactive measures to proactive strategies that foster “positive tipping points,” such as the rapid adoption of renewable energy and sustainable food systems.

Ways Out of the Polycrisis Read More »

The Thematic Assessment Report on Interlinkages Among Biodiversity, Water, Food and Health

This report explores the interconnected crises and challenges of biodiversity loss, water availability and quality, food insecurity, health risks, and climate change, focusing on their interlinkages. It assesses current and future trends, emphasizing biodiversity and nature’s contributions to people. The report also examines response options and governance strategies to promote coordinated decision-making, minimize trade-offs, and

The Thematic Assessment Report on Interlinkages Among Biodiversity, Water, Food and Health Read More »

Impact 2024: How Donald Trump’s Reelection Could Amplify Global Inter-systemic Risk

The November 2024 federal election in the United States could mark an abrupt inflection point not only in the evolution of the American polity but also in the direction of global society. In this report, the Cascade Institute’s Polycrisis research team examines possible global systemic impacts of a second Trump presidency and maps the ways

Impact 2024: How Donald Trump’s Reelection Could Amplify Global Inter-systemic Risk Read More »

Scroll to Top